Voices
by PlayTheGame
Summary: It started with a slap. Just one slap that changed everything, sending Randy Orton into a downward spiral of madness and want. He wants Stephanie McMahon. Will he get what he wants? And will he stop at nothing to get her? Psycho Randy alert!
1. I Hear Voices

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_I hear voices in my head,_

_They counsel me, they understand,_

_They talk to me._

_I hear voices crying._

_I see heroes dying._

_I taste blood that's drying._

_I feel tension rising._

_I hear voices in my head,_

_They counsel me, they understand,_

_They talk to me._

_They tell me things that I will do,_

_They show me things I'll do to you._

_They talk to me._

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**A/N-** The format of this fic will be a series of short chapters detailing Mr. Orton's thoughts and feelings as he spiralls further and further into madness lol. Everything is owned by WWE and Rev Theory own the song I guess. I've been wanting to do a fic like this for a while so I finally listened to the voices in my own head and went ahead and wrote something down. I hope you like it. Btw, this is also the first time I've ever written in the first person so please hang in there while I get used to it!


	2. The Beginning

It started with a slap.

Just one hard slap across my face and that was it.

As her hand connected with my cheek, I felt something welling up deep inside me. That's why I took a step closer and got in her face. I wanted her to see what she had awoken in me. But instead she just glared back. And then I remembered. I remembered that we were on national TV, on Raw, and that I was Randy Orton the character staring down Stephanie McMahon. Not Randy Orton the person staring down Stephanie Levesque. As the cameraman yelled "Cut!" and the beauty before me broke into a beaming smile, I tried my best to shake the feeling off. Whatever it was hadn't felt normal. It didn't feel......like me.

"Great job, Randy! Sorry if I slapped you too hard," she said as she reached across and patted my cheek like a mother would do to her child. Normally, such patronisation would anger me. But not then, not with her. As her soft hand rubbed against my cheek, I was able to savour the feeling of her touch. The cameras weren't rolling, nobody was recording this. I closed my eyes and let it wash over me.

"Randy, are you OK?"

Her question forced me to open my eyes. I looked at her with a fake smile and nodded my head, telling her that I was absolutely fine. This seemed to satisfy her and we went our separate ways. Her, back to producing the show and me back to my thoughts.

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Later that night, as I watched her mourning over her father, I knew I had a problem. I should have been celebrating inside. Celebrating over the angle that had the potential to propel me into superstardom. I had just '_punted_' Vince McMahon in the head. And it wasn't going to stop with him. No, no. The McMahon family was going to fall at the hands of Randy Orton. The character. But rather than rejoicing in this fact, my only goal was to have one McMahon fall at the hands of Randy Orton and it certainly wasn't Vince. Or Shane. Or Linda.

Only Stephanie.

As she turned to me in shock, fully immersed in her role as the grieving daughter, I fought the urge to smile and instead fell into mine. The 'Viper' Randy Orton had struck. But it was just a matter of time before the real Randy Orton unleashed himself upon the world. And more specifically, upon the woman huddled over her father in the ring.


	3. The Rumble

I'm really happy with the response this fic has received. Thank you to **rayanr55, Jelemo, Team Novak** (I love Law and Order too btw!), **axxechikka, Christina89, triplehstephmcmahonfan, SaraHHH, StephMcMahon21** and of course my pal **smokin'upoutside**. Seeing as I've posted this, it's now your turn to post something lol.

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I stand in my locker room preparing for the Rumble later tonight. The wrestling world has been stunned by my actions and my storyline has everybody talking. I run my hand over my cheek as I think about it, still feeling her softness there. I long for her to touch me again. Who knows, it may even be tonight. Scripts change fast around here. There's a knock at the door and it interrupts my train of thought. I look over, expecting Ted and Cody. But instead I'm met with the smiling face of the man who owns the object of my desire.

"Hey man. I've just come by to tell you the final plans for tonight."

I force a smile as he rambles on. Usually I would be all ears, trying my best to pick up any advice that I could. After all, this was the man that helped me get my real start in this business. I had been handpicked by The Game himself to be a part of Evolution. If that doesn't entail bragging rights then I don't know what will. But as I look at his animated face as he talks about the match, all I can see is an obstacle, a roadblock. Something from stopping me achieving what I want most in this world. As my thoughts turn to Stephanie I can't stop the smile that spreads across my face and before I know what I'm doing, I'm asking if he knows where she is. He looks at me in slight confusion. He knows I haven't been listening and now I'm asking about his wife.

"She's at the gorilla. Why?" He asks with a curious gleam in his eyes. I put on my best smile and blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

"Sam wanted me to ask her a couple of things about clothes for Alanna. But never mind, I'll ask another time."

My answer seems to satisfy his curiosity and he gives me a friendly slap on the back before leaving the room. I look at my shoulder, at the place where his hand had just been and wipe at it in disgust. I didn't want him touching me. He had Stephanie. The battle lines had been drawn. Anyone and anything that stood in the way of me and her was the enemy now. And this was one battle I was not prepared to lose.

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"Yes, I'll see you soon. Probably Tuesday. Yes, bye."

I don't tell her that I love her as I hang up the phone. What's the point in lying? Sam's a smart girl. I'm sure she'll figure it all out in due course. But suddenly my wife is the furthest thing from my mind. Standing just in front of the large black tour bus to my left is none other than Mrs. Levesque herself.

"Randy, are you coming?"

"No!" I yell at Ted and he looks at me in shock. Probably a little taken aback by the aggression in my tone but I don't care. "I'll catch up with you later," I tell him and slowly approach her. So far, she hasn't noticed me and I take this opportunity to examine her. She really is beautiful. A goddess. And if I had the chance I'd worship every inch of her. I smile to myself thinking that pretty soon I'll be able to do exactly that and no one will be able to stop me.

"Hey Steph," I say, finally getting her attention. She turns and gives me that breathtaking smile. She's perfect.

"Hey Randy. You not heading home for the night?" she asks but she's not looking at me. Instead her eyes are looking over my shoulder. I study her face as it breaks into a huge smile. A similar smile to the one she had given me moments ago only this time, her whole face is lit up and her eyes are sparkling. I turn around to once again come face to face with Paul. He comes to stand beside her and places a quick kiss on her lips while his hand wraps around her waist. In that moment I could have killed him.

"So did you find out about the clothes?" he asks and I clench my fists, trying with everything inside of me not to lash out and beat him to the ground. It was too soon for that. I took solace in the fact that his time was coming. And when it did come, I would enjoy every damn second of it.


	4. Something's Happening To Me

**A/N** - Again thanks go out to **rayanr55, SaraHHH, Christina89, axxechikka, Girl on Fire** and **Team Novak** (I'd be more of a Team McCoy gal myself lol. Jack rocks!) for reviewing the last chapter. As for the other gal that reviewed (and you know who you are!), I better see something posted and soon missy! Anyways, this one seems very short because it's basically just two paragraphs but don't worry, the next chapter should make up for that lol. Thanks so much for reading and letting me know your thoughts. Oh, and for the other 120 or so people that have been reading this thing, don't be afraid to drop me a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

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Sometimes I worry about the state of affairs around this place when they have me screaming on national TV like an idiot. But everybody quickly learns that the WWE is one crazy place and I've more than gotten used to it. I had another confrontation with her tonight. Another confrontation yet nothing really happened, nothing that I wanted to happen anyway. I am a professional. I go out there, I do my job and I love it. Yet when I'm in there with her, I forget that we are surrounded by thousands of people, I forget that we are playing characters in a made up world. I just can't help myself. I get sucked into the story. I get sucked into her. A sharp tingle runs down my spine as I think about her. Earlier tonight she had stood face to face with me in that ring. I could feel the tension radiating off of her. Her beautiful features had been screwed into a ball as she sneered at me and I had to fight with everything in me not to just reach out and grab her. She was quickly consuming my every thought. Everything I did, everything I saw, I found some way to relate it to her.

Suddenly, the sound of a ringing phone interrupts my thoughts. I glare at it menacingly, tempted to throw it against the wall for breaking the image in my head, the image of Stephanie in the ring looking as beautiful as ever. Rather than answer it, I let the stupid thing ring out and get to my feet. The ringing finally stops and I flip the phone open, the small blue screen revealing the missed call. Sam. My lip twitches as I think about my wife. I haven't seen her or my daughter in over a week. But I don't miss them. They used to mean everything to me. I'm not so sure about that anymore. What matters most to me now is having Stephanie Levesque as my own. And I will have her. McMahon family member or not. Married to one of my friends or not. I really don't give a damn. And if they decide to get in my way then I'll just have to take them out. I can't stop the smile that spreads across my face and I look down at my hands, inspecting them. My weapons of choice. Things that can be used to show affection .Love. And things that can be used to show force. Inflict pain. I clench them into tight fists, watching as my knuckles turn white. My body tenses and I feel something wash over me. My muscles are tight and I shut my eyes, letting the feeling pass before slowly releasing my hands and letting out a calming breath as my body relaxes. Something's happening to me. Something's happening to me and I don't know what it is. But I like it. I like it a little too much and that scares me. I'm becoming so consumed with one person that I'm willingly ready to hurt my friends and family in order to get her. But my need for her outweighs any regrets I may have about what I'm doing. Hell I don't think I have any regrets. The only thing I might regret is having to wait so damn long to have her. But I can't just swoop in. No. I have to pick my spot and wait for the right moment. I know it will come. And when it does it will be the sweetest victory of my life. Oh to taste her and let her know how much I need her. It will be a feeling like no other. I can't wait.


	5. A Wasted Opportunity

**A/N** - Thanks to **Christina89, x0allisonqt0x, Team Novak** (don't you be dissing on Jack. He rocks!),** axxechikka, GirlonFire, rayanr55, SaraHHH, CerebralPrincess** and **triplehhholic**. It's good to see you back around these parts ;-). As for you **smokey**, I really hope you get your motivation back so this one's dedicated to you. See how nice I'm being lol? And btw, I've got a banner on the way for this one and hope to have it added to my profile pretty soon.

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Good things come to those who wait. I don't know who said it but it certainly comes true. I've been given the script for tonight and look what's inside. A scene with me and Stephanie. Well, Shane's in there too but I don't really consider him a threat. He's not her husband or her crazy ass father. Those two are on the top of my hit list. Especially Paul. Contrary to his character, Paul is quite a reserved man and not very confrontational. But mess with his family and things get real ugly real fast. I have no doubt in my mind that he'll come after me the minute I try anything with his wife. Which is why I'll have to take him out. Permanently. But back to my scene. It's not much. There's not a lot of talking involved. In fact I'm knocking her to the ground and attempting to punt her but it's a start. And I'll use this as an opportunity to talk to her, maybe rehearse things for later so that she doesn't get 'hurt.' I chuckle at that thought. I would never hurt her. I want to do the opposite actually. I want to show her just how much I want and need her. As a matter of fact, I think I'll go and see if she's up for some rehearsal right now.

I leave the canteen area without a word to either Ted or Cody. I think they've become used to my moods lately. When I agreed to this whole Legacy stable I didn't think they would be following me 24/7. I really wish they would leave me in peace sometimes. I can't go anywhere without one of them being my shadow. I can't help but think about whether I was like this back in the Evolution days. Did Paul see me the same way? Actually, come to think about it, I really don't give a damn. I'm not some protégé anymore. I am my own man. And I am the man that will eventually take his wife. I smile to myself as I come to the end of the hallway. I can hear the sound of laughter coming from inside the room. But before I get the chance to knock on the door, it opens slightly and a small blur of blonde runs straight into my leg. I look down to see little Aurora Rose Levesque looking right back at me, her huge hazel eyes staring questioningly. She's met me before. Hell she's even played with my daughter. But she doesn't seem very comfortable around me right now. Maybe she's onto me I smirk to myself as I crouch down to her level and smile.

"Hey there," I tell her in my most friendly tone. This seems to work as she slowly starts to smile back.

"Hi Randy," she mumbles. Her hand is covering her mouth and she's looking at the ground. Maybe I make her nervous. I don't answer her as she continues to stand there and stare at me. Suddenly I feel my stomach lurch as I look at her. She's a mixture of both her parents. I can see her mother's beautiful features yet at the same time she looks so much like her father. So much so that my eyes harden and I greet the little toddler with a cold smile. She is walking proof of their love for one another. I actually feel physically sick to my stomach and for a split second I have thoughts of eliminating her from the picture too. After all, Stephanie won't be needing her when she's with me. But then again, what harm is a two year old kid? Again I put on my best smile before getting to my feet. As I rise I find that the door to the room is open and Paul is standing there watching me curiously. I don't know how long he was standing there. But as he smiles and welcomes me into the room I realise that he wasn't standing there long enough.

"Randy. What brings you by, buddy?" he says as he scoops Aurora up and plops down on the sofa. My eyes scan the room, looking for her but she's not here.

"I ahhh.....was hoping to run over the script with Stephanie but she's....ah.....she's not here so I guess I'll just go," I tell him trying not to let my disappointment show.

"Actually she's in the bathroom with Murphy. She's been throwing up all day," he frowns and I fake a smile. I don't care if she has the damn plague. All I care about is seeing Stephanie. And I don't have to wait very long before she makes her appearance. All eyes in the room swing to the open bathroom door and she steps out, taking my breath away. She really is perfect. TV doesn't do her justice.

"Randy! You come by to get a head start on that punt!" she jokes. I smile along with her, already feeling my body respond to being this close to her. I can smell her sweet but subtle perfume as she begins to walk over to the couch.

"Something like that. I came to see if you wanted to get in a practice run before the show tonight. You know, just to make sure everything goes off without a hitch." I watch as she stops in front of the couch, places her youngest daughter into her husband's arms and then straightens up again.

"That's not a bad idea actually," she says as she kisses Paul goodbye before turning her attention back to me. My fists automatically clench at my sides as I watch their sickening display of affection. Pretty soon she will be kissing me instead of that SOB and this thought calms my nerves. Again I have to fight with myself not to just take him out right then and there.

"Bye sweetheart!" She calls to Aurora as we finally leave the room and at last I get my chance to spend some time alone with her. But that becomes short lived because as soon as we round the corner, out comes Shane McMahon.

"Just the two people I was looking for," he smiles and I inwardly I groan. Maybe I should add him to the list after all.


	6. Serenity

Thanks to **x0allisonqt0x, rayan55, Christina89, GirlonFire, CerebralPrincess, axxechikka** (One of my most loyal reviewers! Thanks a bunch), **PaulluvsSteph, Team Novak** (Thanks lol. Jack is a staple of Law and Order though, you can't deny that!), **Jelemo, StephMcMahon21** and **dx-nodoubt-dx** (Nice to have you back!). As for you **smokey**, nice to see you getting back on track. Maybe if I keep dedicating my chapters to you you'll finally post something lol. Btw, I'm sorry for the madness at the end of this but it just....sort of......happened lol. My inner Randy is getting more violent with every passing day. Be warned!! Final point to note, I'll be away in London until Saturday so don't expect anything in the way of updates until next week. Hope you like this one! Oh wait, there's one more thing I forgot to mention lol. The banner has been added to my profile. It's pretty darn awesome and credit goes to Illise over at MLF. Check it out!

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I have to hand it to him. Paul played the grieving husband to absolute perfection. When I hit that RKO on Stephanie he ran to the ring and proceeded to stare me the hell out as I stood at the top of the ramp. I'm watching the video of it now in my hotel room. I can't stop watching it. It makes me feel....content. Because I imagine that that's going to be the exact expression on his face when I take his wife for real. I close my eyes and stretch my limbs out over the soft bed. I watched them as they came back through the curtain a few minutes after me. I remember my stomach twisting when I realised that she was actually in pain. I didn't mean to hurt her though. While it may have looked like it on TV, I actually tried my best to make it as safe for her as I possibly could. She had hung off him as he consoled her, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist and his face pressed against the side of hers as he whispered words of comfort. I have to admit it was quite a surreal moment and not just for me but for the whole locker room I would imagine. While I'm sure that they are an affectionate couple, they never really showed it around the workplace. I guess they wanted to act like professionals. So this was the first time that any of us really saw them like that. Quite frankly I would have preferred it if they had stuck to their professional route because it makes me sick to my stomach when I see them like that. I can't stop my hand from punching the mattress as that sickening image runs through my mind. I feel my legs start to shake with impatience and I quickly get to my feet. I need to go......do something, anything to get my mind off them. While I love thinking about Stephanie, I absolutely detest thinking about her with him. It always makes my blood boil. That's a good thing though. Because eventually, when the time comes for me to take him out, I'll be so high on adrenaline that he won't know what the hell hit him. I grab my jacket and quickly exit my hotel room. I think I'll head down to the bar. There's nothing like a good drink to calm your nerves.

A few minutes later and I walk inside spotting several WWE folk already nursing a drink. That's not unusual. The hotel we stay in almost always gets over run with superstars when we're here. I ignore several people as I make my way to the bar. Hopefully they'll get the message and leave me alone. I'm not in the mood for stupid small talk tonight. But unfortunately that's not to be for when I turn around I have none other than Vince McMahon himself gesturing for me to join him at his table. And he's not alone. Oh no. Sitting beside him in the booth is Linda, Paul and of course, Stephanie. I get that familiar little tingle as I spot her but that feeling quickly turns to rage as I approach them. I can feel my hand gripping the beer bottle tighter and tighter, so tight that I'm sure it's going to break. She's practically stuck to him, his arm wrapped around her shoulder, her hand resting on his thigh while she cuddles into his chest and it makes me sick. But I feel the tension start to leave my body as she sees me and smiles that wonderful smile. My hand loosens its grip on the bottle and I set it down on the table sitting down in the space offered by Vince. I lift my head to find that I'm directly opposite Paul and Stephanie. On the one hand that's a good thing as I can watch her at my leisure. On the other hand, it's not so good because I have to watch them together.

"Hey, Randy. No hard feelings about earlier tonight. I know you were just doing what you were told to do," said Paul as he finally tore his gaze away from her and looked at me. I inwardly cringed as I looked at his face. Every time I saw him lately he just made me so angry. I absolutely cannot wait until I finally get my hands on him. I want him to suffer. I want him to know what it feels like to watch another man put his hands all over the object of your desire. I want him to feel the way I feel every time I see them together. I try my hardest to push those thoughts from my head and smile at him.

"No harm no foul, Paul. I would never try to harm your wife." It pains me to call her that but for now, that's what she is. But I quickly forget about him and turn my attention to the beauty next to him. I have to catch my breath as I look at her. I wish I could just reach across the table and take her but I know I have to wait. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, Stephanie. That wasn't my intention at all." In fact it's the total opposite. I want to do everything but hurt you.

"I'm fine. Really, Paul is just an awful worrier that's all." She smiled at me but quickly looked back at her husband as she playfully bumped into him. Again I gripped the bottle hard as I watched them interact with one another.

"You love it that I worry about you," he said as he bumped her back.

"I guess I do," she replied as she rolled her eyes and then looked back at me. I felt my muscles relax as I looked into her eyes. She looked so happy and it caused a pang in my chest. Why was she so happy? How could she be when she wasn't with me? Didn't she see how badly I wanted her? I mentally chastised myself over this though. Of course she doesn't see it. I haven't given any sort of hint of my feelings towards her. But that will soon change. All I have to do is get her alone. Or better yet, maybe I should take out her beloved husband and then she'll know all about it. I nod my head and smile as I picture his lifeless body on the floor beneath me. What a wonderful thought.

"So are you excited for the new storyline, Randy?"

I break from my reverie to find that Linda has asked me a question. I give her a genuine smile. I have nothing against Linda. She's not a threat to me in the slightest and she's a pretty nice lady. It's not hard to see that Stephanie is her daughter. "Yes. I think it's going to be great actually. The response from the fans has been amazing. I think it will only get better once Paul gets involved."

My answer brings a smile to everybody's face. Ugh. The McMahon's. Always about business. I guess I can count Paul in there too seeing as he practically is one now. As I glance around the table and look at them all happy and smiling I feel sick. But something immediately catches my attention and it makes me feel even worse. I can see their joined hands on the table now, their fingers entwined as his thumb gently brushes over her knuckles. My stomach clenches at the sight and I swallow hard. The sparkling light from the huge diamond on her engagement ring sends me over the edge and I know I have to get out of there before I do something stupid. I quickly down my beer, trying my best not to break the bottle before slamming it down on the table. Paul looks at me curiously as I glare back at him. I can't help it anymore. I just can't stand seeing them together. His curious stare quickly turns serious and I can see Stephanie's hand grip his a little tighter.

"Guys it was great having a drink with you but ahhhh.....I got to go."

With that I turn and leave them, heading for the door and leaving the bar. I don't stop walking. In fact I walk right outside and just keep going. My fists are clenched tight and my head is throbbing. All I can think about is Paul's face. He saw something in my eyes tonight I just know it. He knows something's not right. Damn him for being so perceptive. As I think about his face I can feel my fingers digging into my palms so deep that I'm sure it will draw blood. But I feel numb. Suddenly something hard knocks into my shoulder. I snap out of my thoughts and come face to face with some guy. I quickly take in my surroundings and find that I am on some empty side street. My body is practically shaking with rage. Rage that is intended for Paul but was sparked by this asshole right in front of me.

"Sorry," he mumbles and tries to walk on but that's just not going to happen. I push him back and can't help but smile at the frightened expression on his face.

"I.....wha.....what are you do...doing," he stutters and I laugh out loud. What a coward. At least Paul would take it like a man. Paul. My eyes narrow and my body shakes at the mere thought of his name. I immediately lash out and punch the guy right in the face. He stumbles backwards into a dark alley and I follow him, grabbing him by the collar and punching him again. I can see his blood on my hands as I keep punching him. He's on the ground now, writhing in pain as I drop down beside him. I have a smile on my face as I slap the ground as if I were poised for an RKO. The irony of the situation makes me laugh. Through his pain I can see his freaked out expression. I'm sure he thinks I'm mad. But I'm not. I'm just enjoying myself. I punch the ground one last time before landing the final blow right to his face. His head smacks against the ground as he falls back unconscious. The alley is now quiet. I enjoy the silence as I get to my feet. I pull the sleeves of my jacket over my knuckles to cover the red stains there and calmly head back to the hotel. I feel sated. A lazy smile crosses my face as I walk back to my room at a leisurely pace. His time is coming. And when it does I'll leave him laying like that poor SOB in the street. My time is coming too and soon Stephanie will be mine.


	7. Red

**A/N** - Soooooooo, I'm back after that little break last week due to exams. Thanks to **StephMcMahon21, Girl on Fire, dx-nodoubt-dx, CerebralPrincess, axxechikka, BubblyShell22, Team Novak, Hazel Harper, rayan55, Christina89, Lennie1984, DXRULES103** and of course you **smokey** for reviewing the last chapter. And hey, I knew you would post something eventually. Inspiration comes in little doses lol. My Randy muse tells me that things will start picking up from here. He's also in constant conflict with my Trips muse who suspects something is up but can't prove it!! My mind is a really weird place lol. Anyways here's the next chappie...

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Red.

All I can see is red.

It's swirling around the sink in front of me, mixing in with the water turning it a pinkish colour. My hands grip the sides of the solid white porcelain tightly as I stare into the mirror. I look at myself and notice something that I've never noticed before. My eyes are dark. Cold. Emotionless.

I may have killed a man tonight. For all I know he's still lying in that alley half bleeding to death. But do I care? My shoulders shrug in response to my question. No. No I do not care. The only thing I wish is that it was that SOB Paul lying there instead. I shut my eyes at the mention of his name. He possesses the one thing I want most in this world. And the worst thing about it is that she's willingly his. Will she ever see me that way? Will she ever look at me the way she looks at him? My eyes snap open as I return to studying myself in the mirror. I watch as a slow smile spreads across my face. Of course she will. After all, her asshole husband won't be around for her to worship once I'm done with him. And then he'll be forgotten about and Stephanie will be mine. The thought of finally having her after craving her for so long immediately calms me. I feel my muscles go lax as I loosen my grip on the sink. My mind is full of wonderful images of her, of us. I let my head loll backwards as I imagine myself touching her soft skin, my fingers running over her supple lips while my other hand pulls her closer to me. My hand subconsciously reaches out and rests palm flat against the mirror as I imagine her there.

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNCOK

I snap my head around at the intruding sound. This person is going to pay for interrupting me, especially now of all times. I glance at the clock on the wall as I angrily stalk my way to the door and pull it open.

"What the hell do......."

But my sentence is cut short when I see who's standing on the other side. Sam. And she's not alone. For the first time in a good while I see my daughter. But that familiar little tingle I used to get when I see her smiling little face is gone. The same can be said for my wife. The only thing that makes me feel is the sight of Stephanie McMahon and I won't apologize for that. Sam's just going to have to deal with it.

"Randy!" She yells in shock. I watch as her eyes sweep over me, taking in my appearance. I'm standing in the doorway to my hotel room, shirtless with swollen bruised knuckles and no explanation as to how they've got there.

"Randy what the hell happened to you? Look at your hands! Were you fighting?" Her words come out in a rush as she grabs my hands and inspects them all the while pushing her way into my room. I'm momentarily distracted by her scent and the feel of her touch. It used to mean so much to me. Now it means nothing. Everything means nothing until I can have _her_. As I think about her I snap back to reality and pull my hands away.

"It's nothing OK. Just leave it," I tell her as I turn away from her and make my way to the bed. I can feel her following me over.

"How can it be nothing? Your hands are......"

"JUST LEAVE IT DAMMIT!"

The room becomes eerily silent as we stand a few feet apart glaring at each other. Even Alana can sense there's something wrong I guess. She's looking between the two of us with those big eyes of hers. Sam doesn't say another word as she grasps our daughter tighter to her body and glares at me in anger.

"I don't know what the hell's gotten into you Randy. But I don't like it one bit. When you feel like spending some time with your family you know where to find us." The door slams shut after her making me flinch slightly. That's the first time she's ever walked out on me. Given how I feel about her right now I'm pretty sure it won't be the last. The truth of the matter is she just isn't enough for me anymore. I want Stephanie. I _need_ Stephanie. I have to have her and nothing will ever be good enough until I do. A sick smile crosses my face as I stare at my knuckles. I will not stop until I have her and I'll take pleasure disposing of anybody that gets in my way.


	8. Suspicions

**A/N** - Thanks to **rayanr55, Christina89, axxechikka, ceruleanskye1212, StephMcMahon21, Cerebral Princess, GirlonFire, Team Novak, BubblyShell, Torie, x0allisonqt0x,** **missbean1997, QueenofYourWorld, dx-nodoubt-dx, thecatchisthedeadliest, sarah0985, McMahon Levesque Fan** and **Miss Smokey** herself! Thank you all for reviewing the last chapter and I'm really sorry about the wait for the next one. Here it is. Things are starting to pick up now. Randy's attack looms in the near future people, be warned!!

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There's chatter everywhere as I walk into the hotel lobby. I look around and spot Cena standing beside a few hotel workers. I come to stand beside them. John looks at me with a concerned expression on his face.

"What's going on?" I ask him, glancing around the expanse lobby. Several pockets of WWE Superstars and Divas are scattered all over the place, each of them lost in their own little conversations.

John rubs a hand over his face. "One of the bell boys was attacked last night man. Poor guy's laid up in hospital."

I feel my chest tighten with anxiety. He doesn't know it was me. He can't. I try my hardest to keep my cool and give no indication of guilt. Instead, an equally concerned expression graces my face and I purposefully soften my tone. "Jesus! Is he alright? Did he see who did it?"

"Nobody's sure right now. Danny," he points to one of the hotel workers that left him when I came over, "Was really close to the guy. He went to the hospital to see him, says he has a mad concussion and can't remember a thing. It's like he completely blacked out."

I bite my lip to stop the smile spreading across my face. That little bastard is lucky he doesn't remember anything or I would have to pay him a visit in the hospital. "How convenient," I utter simply, a hint of a smile on my lips and John looks at me in confusion.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, how convenient for the attacker that the guy doesn't remember anything. They probably have no hope of finding who did it now." My answer puts him at ease and he shakes his head, a look of anger crossing his face.

"Exactly. But you want to know what pisses me off? It's the fact that everybody's pointing their fingers at us. A guy who works in a hotel that's full of wrestler gets his shit kicked in so obviously it's one of us that did it. Isn't that the biggest load of crap you've ever heard?"

I shake my head as if I'm reacting to what he just said when in reality I'm shaking my head at him. Such the company man is Mr. Cena. But I've had enough of this conversation. I've shown my face, shown some concern and now I can leave. "We always get blamed for everything, John, you should know that by now. Try not to let it get to your head." I give him a light slap on the shoulder before turning and being on my way. But I'm only able to make it a few steps before practically running into the one man I did not want to see this morning. Paul.

"Orton!" He yells slightly. I raise my head and look at him. He looks a bit pissed. But there's something else there, I noticed it last night. He looks...............suspicious.

"What was with the abrupt departure last night? Is everything alright with you?" He tries to mask his question with concern but I'm not falling for it. I know he's onto me the son of a bitch.

"I had to go see Sam. A guy needs to tend to his wife, Paul. You should know all about that." I grit my teeth as I practically spit the reply at him. Who the hell does he think he is anyway? This is completely none of his business.

"That's funny. You see on the way back to our hotel room, Steph and I bumped into Sam. And she was pretty upset. She said something about an argument. Something about you not being yourself lately. And you know what? I'd have to agree with her. Ted and Cody have said the exact same thing. If there's something going on with you, Randy you need to tell me so I can help you."

His self righteous little speech makes me sick to my stomach. I'm grateful for the fact that he screwed my head on straight all those years ago. He took me under his wing in Evolution. He settled me down and taught me how to act like a man. But that was then and this is now. I don't need his help nor do I want it. In fact, the only way he can help me is if he gives me his wife but I don't think he'd be up for that. I'll just have to take her instead.

"I'm fine Paul. And I'd really appreciate it if you would stay out of my business. I can take care of myself." I lift my hand and point at my chest as if to emphasise my point. But in doing so I've made a grave mistake. I watch as his attention falls to my hands. His eyes quickly skim over my bruised and red knuckles. A subtle look of realisation crosses his face before his eyes meet mine. I stare right back at him, defiantly getting in his face.

"Those are some bumpy knuckles you've got there Randy." He doesn't even try to hide his accusatory tone and I take a deep breath, letting my eyes close before slowly releasing the air from my lungs. If I didn't I would end up jumping him right then and there. He knows. The bastard knows. I want nothing more than to take him out. My need to get rid of him is quickly becoming equal to my need for his wife. We stare at each other in silence until a concerned voice draws our attention.

"Paul!"

I turn my head and immediately all my feelings of anger disappear. There she is in all her beauty. She has minimal make up on but she looks better than any glamour model. She comes to stand at her husband's side before looking between us curiously. I'm sure she can feel the tension. I smile to myself. So Paul, what will your next move be? He takes her hand and mumbles something before they walk away to join the rest of the McMahons on the other side of the room. I let out a chuckle. Such a chicken he is. I knew he wouldn't do anything about his suspicions. After all, he has no way of proving anything. I look over in their direction and flinch as I watch him wrap an arm tightly around her waist and pull her close. She wraps her arm around his shoulders, playing with his hair as they stand there chatting to her parents. Unexpectedly though, he turns and glares at me over her shoulder.

And here we stand. He doesn't know it yet, but we are two warriors, about to go into battle over a most prized possession. Our victory prize and the distance of the room separate us. But pretty soon, I will be standing tall over his defeated body with the woman of our affection clinging to me. That image puts a big smile on my face and I happily turn away from them, prepared to face the day ahead.


	9. At Long Last

**A/N** - Muchas gracias to **Team Novak, Christina89, x0allisonqt0x, rayanr55, CerebralPrincess, missbean1997, BubblyShell22, sarah0985, axxechikka, ceruleanskye1212, Steph McMahon21, KKDollZ, Lyonene, Miss Smokey** and **McMahon-Levesque-fan** - this one is dedicated to you. I'm expecting my new chapter of _Happiness and Heartache_ now!! I finally decided to give you guys some Randy/Steph interaction lol. Enjoy....

* * *

I can't believe this. I seriously cannot believe this. When I was told I would be getting the Raw script early I figured that something pretty important must be going down but I had no idea that I would have to spend the whole damn day taping this scene with my enemy. Perfect! I take a deep breath as I look around the set. We are at some house taping the segment for the end of Raw tomorrow night. I've already taken my promotional shots for the website. All that's left is to shoot the damn scene although Paul isn't here yet. I wonder if he'll bring his lovely wife along to watch the proceedings. My face breaks into a smile as I think about her. I've been distracted lately, distracted by that no good SOB. But I'm focused now. My main goal is to get Stephanie and take her as my own. Eliminating Paul is a by-product of that. But that's not to say that I won't enjoy it because I will. I will enjoy every single second of hearing him scream in pain as I beat and torture him. I will enjoy seeing the pain in his eyes as I walk away with his wife. And most of all I will enjoy the look of defeat on his face as he realises that I have won, that I have broken him and that I have taken everything from him. The parallels to our storyline are so damn ironic.

"Alright guys, you know what to do. Let's shoot!"

I snap out of my thoughts to find the crew scurrying around and then suddenly I spot him. He's looking at me with a slightly freaked out look on his face. My smile grows bigger. He must have been watching as I thought about destroying him. If only he knew what I was thinking about. Ha. I walk over to join him as he stands beside the director. He nods at me and forces a tight lipped smile.

"Randy."

"Paul," I nod back. To be honest, I don't really care if the director knows that I hate his guts but it will make things a hell of a lot easier on me if I don't have rumours swirling all around the locker room. I'll go along with his little game of silence. For now.

"So guys, we'll shoot the fight bit first to get it out of the way seeing as that's the most important. Then all we have to do is shoot the rest and you guys are free to go."

"Great," I smile as if I'm excited to get this rolling when I'm actually smiling because I finally have a chance to get my hands on him. We've both been told to work stiff which means that I now have a reason to smack him in the face. But that will only be a small taste of what's to come.

"Randy, you're going to jump him from behind and then you'll move into the living room. I'm not going to script this; you guys know what you are doing. Eventually, Triple H will throw Orton out the window, and then follow up on the garden before getting arrested. You got that?"

I nodded at him, so did Paul before we locked eyes and began shooting.

* * *

"That son of a bitch!" I utter to myself as I walk down the hallway looking for my locker room. My head is still pounding after he threw me against the wall yesterday. How foolish of me to think that if I hit him he wouldn't hit me back. I guess I underestimated his professionalism. Just like Cena, Paul is the ultimate company man but obviously he feels a little bias towards me. I wonder why? A slow smile crosses my face at that thought. I never thought it would be this easy to play "the game." Continuing my search down the hallway, my smile only gets bigger as I spot the one thing that I crave in my life. Her smile is breathtaking as she turns and spots me.

"Hey, Randy!"

"Hi, Steph. You keeping busy?" She is now fully turned to face me and I try not to let my eyes trail over her body. I sneak a quick glance up and down the hallway to find that we are all alone. Finally. I am almost unable to contain my excitement at the prospect.

"You know me, I'm always busy," she says, that beautiful smile returning. God, what I wouldn't give to just kiss her right now. I'd make her feel everything that has been building inside of me recently. How much I want her, how much I desire her, how much I _need_ her. This is the first chance I've had to spend some time alone with her and I am not going to waste it.

"That's great. Listen, Steph, can we talk for a minute," I ask motioning to the door behind us.

"Sure. Is everything OK?"

The concern in her voice almost sweeps me off my feet. Obviously she has no idea of the underlying tension between me and her husband. I open the door and let her walk in in front of me. As I close the door I mentally fight with myself over whether or not I should just seal the deal right now. My fingers hover over the lock.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?"

I quickly decide against making my move now. I want Paul to be there when it happens. I want to make him suffer. But right now I'm going to make the most of this opportunity. I smile at her and sit next to her on the couch. Our knees are almost touching and again I find myself stuck in a battle between my head and my carnal lust for the woman next to me. I firmly grip my knee and steady my bouncing leg before turning to her. "Well I've been thinking about the storyline and I just wanted to run some ideas by you."

Her face lights up as my smile gets bigger. I've got her. "That's great! What have you been thinking about?"

"Well, tonight we have Triple H attacking me at home so I figured that I need to get some sort of retaliation. But not just anything, it needs to big, something that will really put the whole angle over, you know." She's listening intently, her beautiful face scrunched up into a cute little concentrated frown. I love that. "So I was thinking, what could Randy Orton do to really get under the skin of Triple H? And the only thing I could think of was to have some more interaction with you, the woman that got him involved in this whole thing in the first place. What do you think?"

"I think that's perfect and I was actually talking about it to Paul the other night although for some reason he didn't go for it." I stopped the smile that threatened to break across my face at that little fact. "Maybe you could talk to him about it? I'm going to speak to him later on. He wasn't in the best of moods when he came back to the hotel last night," she continued and this time I couldn't help but smile. I loved the fact that I had gotten under his skin just as much as he had gotten under mine. The only difference was that I knew he was rattled, something that he didn't know about me and I could definitely use that to my advantage.

"You know what, why don't you send him my way and I'll be sure to tell him all about my idea."

"Well before you tell him why don't you tell me? Do you have something exact in your mind or were you just raising the idea?"

I take a deep breath before telling her. I've been thinking about this for a while now. For storyline purposes it's great. For personal reasons it's even better. I release the air from my lungs and decide to just go for it. "Well, I was thinking that Legacy could bait Triple H into attacking us on his own. But it's a trap and we kick the hell out of him. Then I handcuff him to the ropes and threaten to hit him right in the head with the sledgehammer. That's where you come down and beg me not to do it. But this was also a trap to get you down to the ring. I know you're fine taking bumps so I could hit you with an RKO or something to take you out all the while Triple H is still cuffed to the ropes and freaking out because he can't do anything. And you can leave this bit out but I think it would be much more effective if left in. While you're lying on the mat, I lean down and watching Triple H the entire time, I kiss you, sending him into a fit before I finally get up and take him out with the sledgehammer. What do you think?"

We sit in silence for a few seconds and I worry that I may have given myself away. I'm pretty sure the stupid grin on my face isn't helping matters either. But my grin turns to a victorious smile at the excited look on her face.

"I LOVE it! God, that's great, Randy. Maybe you should have my job!" She jokes, gently flipping her hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck and driving me crazy. "We absolutely have to include that now. I'll run it by everyone but there shouldn't be any objections. I'm sure Paul is out of his bad mood by now." With a beautiful smile on her face she gets to her feet and graces me with the view of her killer legs. I savour the moment for a second before escorting her to the door. She turns and says goodbye just before she leaves, sending a wave of her intoxicating perfume up my nostrils. It's the most wonderful smell and it practically sends me on a high. That went much better than expected. And the best part about it all is that Paul will have no choice but to go ahead with it. I smile happily as I make my way back down the hallway to find my locker room, her heavenly scent still lingering around me and the absolutely wonderful prospect that very soon I will get a chance to taste those lips. Yes, this little chat went much, much better than expected.


	10. Tonight's The Night

**A/N** - Thanks to **x0allisonqt0x, CerebralPrincess, rayan55, axxechikka, sinfullyyours, StephMcMahon21, Team Novak, ceruleanskye1212** and **stephrockprincess** for reviewing the last chapter. I'll admit that this one is just a way for me to build more anticipation for "_the kiss_" lol. It's very very short but serves it's purpose. The real one will be posted pretty soon and you can expect all hell to break loose. I've tried to stick as close to the storyline as possible but from here on in that all changes and it becomes all about the fiction. Stay tuned!

* * *

"_Randy Orton then leans down and kisses the lifeless Stephanie while she lies on the mat."_

What sweet words. I just can't help myself. I've been reading over that part of the script ever since I got it.

"_Randy Orton then leans down and kisses the lifeless Stephanie while she lies on the mat."_

I really am a genius! Things couldn't have pulled together more nicely if I had tried, ha! Tonight's the night. Tonight's the night where it all goes down. Where I finally, FINALLY get my opportunity to make Stephanie see what she's missing. With just one touch of my lips on hers I know she'll feel it, she'll feel how much she means to me and how much I need her. And if not then I'll just get rid of her 6'4 problem and then she'll have nothing to worry about. I can't wait for that either. Everybody, the fans and the guys included will think that we are acting. But I know that the look on his face when I kiss his wife will be anything but. Word travels fast around here. I know he's not too happy about this scene going down. He used the lame excuse of not wanting her to get hurt. Like that's ever mattered to him before, he sent her out there to get an RKO when it suited him! In some ways I do feel sorry for him. First he's going to have to watch while I kiss his wife on television. And then I'm going to make him watch while I pleasure her in the confines of privacy. I just know the look on his face is going to be a million times better. He'll have to watch as I give his very own wife the kind of pleasure that he could never give to her. He'll have to hear her calling out for ME, not him as she reaches the throes of passion. I groan loudly at that thought. It's kept me up at night. Just thinking about touching her, about tasting her. I have never wanted something so badly in my life. Tonight is just the first step in achieving my goal. Something to..............whet my appetite so to speak! And hers.

"Randy Orton then leans down and kisses the lifeless Stephanie while she lies on the mat," I say to myself. "Yes, an absolute genius indeed."


	11. A Simple Kiss Can Mean So Much

**A/N** - OK, so I felt bad for teasing you all with the last chapter and decided to push ahead and post this one to appease you lol. Thanks to everybody for reviewing before. I don't have time to name you all today as I wanted to get this posted before I head to work. There's a language warning for this one too because as you can imagine, somebodys not going to be too happy about what goes down lol. Enjoy the proverbial sh*t hitting the fan!!

* * *

The crowd are deafening as I line the sledgehammer up with the side of his face. I smile menacingly as I run the cold metal against his jaw line, eagerly anticipating what's going to happen next. He glares back at me and I can see in his eyes how much he hates this. You know something is going on Paul but you have absolutely no idea of the scale of it. The fans cheer louder and inwardly I smile. She's here. I turn to see her running to the ring. She looks beautiful in her simple jeans and black top. Her face is masked with concern for her 'husband' as he lies at my mercy. She steps onto the apron while Ted and Cody block her path. In the back of my mind I can hear Paul screaming for her to stay away. I quickly grab her as he comes to stand by my side. Oh the irony. The world is watching as he's handcuffed to the ring while I hold his wife in my arms. I love this. I love it so much it forces a wicked smile on my face. His eyes stare daggers through me as I begin to seethe, playing up my character to the fullest extent that I can yet somewhere in the middle I'm blurring the lines. To me, he is Paul Levesque, not Triple H. I can hear Stephanie's faint whimpers as she struggles to get out of my grasp. Not yet. I kick the sledgehammer out of the way and fall back to the mat with a loud thud. The fans think it's her face making the noise yet I took most of the fall on my back. I don't want to hurt her. I never want to hurt her. As I get to my feet I see Paul on his knees, his face in his hands. He tries to pull her towards him but I quickly pull her back. There's no way I'm letting her near him. His eyes narrow. That wasn't in the script. I gently tug her out of his reach and take the sledgehammer into my hands. The noise level in the arena rises as the fans look on in horror, thinking that I'm actually going to hit her. I can hear some smarks chanting "RKO" and it makes me laugh. I sneer at him manically, letting go of the sledgehammer and dropping to my knees.

This is it, the moment I've been waiting for for so long. I look into his eyes. I want him to see this. I want him to watch as I kiss her. Little does he know this is only a little taste of what's to come. I slowly lean down, smiling all the way. I pause as I reach her face and sneak a glance. Her lips look so full, so soft. I just can't help myself. I lean down and press my lips against hers. It's only meant to last a moment or two but the absolute pleasure of finally getting something you've been wanting for so long takes over and I stay there. I push my mouth a little harder against her. I can feel her tense beneath me yet she does nothing. I caress her face with my hand, revelling in the last moment before I slowly pull back and run my tongue across my lips. I can taste her there and it brings a smile to my face. I lock eyes with Paul and my smile only gets bigger. If looks could kill I'd be dead right now. The thought only makes me laugh in his face. I take a step closer as he reaches out to me. But as I do I see something unexpected in his eyes. I don't know what the hell it is but I don't like it. He glares at me and mouths that I'm a dead man. My body starts to shake with anger. How dare he? That son of a bitch. I can hardly contain myself as I grab the sledgehammer, my hands gripping it tight. I want nothing more than to beat the living crap out of him right now. My body tenses at the thought. I have to do it. Just one shot and he'll be out of it, I can get rid of him for good.

But the roar of the crowd stops me from making a grave mistake. I snap out of it and glare back at him before lifting the hammer and 'hitting' him with it. He falls to the ground and slumps in the corner. Heavy boos rain down on me as I leave the ring, the hammer slung over my shoulder. I fight the urge to hit some fan as he screams in my face. I look back at the ring, the image of Paul laying there a beaten man imprinted in my mind. This may only be a storyline but it's real to me. Now that I've tasted her there's no way I'm going to stop until I've had all of her. I need it. It pumps through my veins and keeps me up at night.

It's dead silent as Ted, Cody and I walk back through the curtain. Everybody is looking at me. I turn and come face to face with Vince. He stares at me oddly before his face breaks into a grin.

"That was something else, Randy. Kudos to the both of you. I could practically feel the hatred coming through the monitor. Great job!" He pats my back and goes back to his headset. I can hear him asking if Stephanie is OK. What a fool he is. Practically everybody backstage is eyeing me suspiciously. He seems to be the only one that bought into that being an act. I catch a glimpse of the monitor to see Stephanie being cradled in his arms. They are surrounded by referees as they slowly make their way to the back. I don't know whether or not to stay here and rub it in Paul's face or just leave. It would probably be better if I left. Everybody's hanging around expecting something to happen. I can tell by their stupid expectant faces. I just kissed another man's wife on national television and it most definitely was not scripted to happen the way it did. I glance to either side of me. Ted and Cody look a little stunned but I don't care. I can still feel her soft lips against mine, a feeling I simply need to experience again and soon. Suddenly I hear a slight commotion behind me. My body tenses. I know it's him. And so it begins.

"ORTON!"

I turn around and into the angry stare of Paul Levesque. I smile at him, causing his expression to turn to one of disgust. Doesn't he see how easy it is to play mind games with him?

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, huh? That wasn't in the script and you know it."

"I just thought I'd go with the moment, Paul. And the fans ate it up," I reply coolly. A small crowd has formed around us. Out of the corner of my eye I see Vince start to make his way over.

"Don't talk bullshit, Randy. The fans would have eaten up that kiss whether it lasted one second or twenty seconds. You had absolutely no right or reason to kiss her as long as you did."

I stare him dead in the eye as I move in closer. We are practically nose to nose. "Yeah, well I did and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it," I almost whisper at him. My jaw clicks as I watch him begin to shake with anger. Stephanie is beside him but I can't even see her. My eyes are trained on him, just begging him to do something, to hit me so I can retaliate. There's a strange lull in the atmosphere around us before I feel his fist connect with my jaw. It sends me reeling and I stumble backwards into to Ted and Cody who are holding me up almost on instinct. The initial shock quickly leaves me and I lunge at him, revelling in the fact that I finally have my hands on him. I can feel blood spilling from my nose as I swing at his face, my fists crunching as they connect with his skin. Hands are pulling me from every direction. I can hear Stephanie screaming for me to stop. Vince is yelling at everybody to break us up. But I'm focused. I brush away the hands on my back and continue to punch him. Before I know what's happening I'm on my back and reeling as he now connects with punch after punch to my face. All too soon we are separated, several guys holding each of us back. I wipe the blood from my nose as I glare at him, my eyes wild and body still shaking with anger.

He pushes Taker off him and wipes at his bloody mouth. "You stay the fuck away from her. You may have everybody here fooled, Randy but not me. I know what's going on. You stay away from her." His voice is eerily calm as he takes her hand and stalks off down the hallway. I shrug Cena and Ted off me. My head is throbbing. I look up to see everybody standing there looking at me in shock.

"WHAT!" I yell, grabbing the back of my head. They quickly scatter. From the corner of my eye I see Vince standing there not quite sure what the hell just happened. I ignore him as I walk by and head straight for my locker room. I immediately head to the bathroom and take a long look at myself in the mirror. My nose is still bleeding, my face and head are throbbing and there's blood all over my hands. I look down at them. The red stains bring a smile to my face as I realise that it isn't my blood. It's Paul's blood. A euphoric feeling sweeps over my body at that thought. While I may have been busted up, tonight was a double whammy for me. I finally got to kiss Stephanie and I finally got my hands on Paul. My hands grip the edge of the sink as my head hangs low. This is only the beginning. Now I have reason to set my plan in motion. Very soon I will take that fucker out for good. And all that will be left will be Stephanie. My dear, sweet Stephanie. She's the only thing I want. I crave her like the very air I breathe. And I will have her. I raise my head and see my own smiling face in the mirror. It's only a matter of time now. Only a matter of time.


	12. Interlude

**A/N** - A massive thank you to **Team Novak, Queenofyour World, StephMcMahon21, stephrockprincess, LongVodka, CerebralPrincess, ceruleanskye1212, axxechikka, rayanr55, Girl on Fire, dx-nodoubt-dx** and **McMahon-Levesque Fan**. As promised, this one's for you lol. Just a quick word on this chapter. I decided that we needed to see Steph/HHH's side of things so there's no Randy or Randy POV in this one. Sorry! He'll be back with a vengeance in the next one though so don't worry. Enjoy.........

* * *

The hotel room was silent as they entered. Paul held the door for her before swiftly making his way to the bathroom. Stephanie watched him walk away, a slightly sullen look on her face. She couldn't believe what had happened earlier. Her husband was not in the habit of getting into fights with people, especially his friends. Then again, he hadn't been too friendly with Randy lately. He'd even gone so far as to request that she be kept out of the storyline. He obviously knew something and she didn't like being kept in the dark. With a heavy sigh she followed him to the bathroom. She gently pushed the door open to find him pressing a cold towel to his forehead and felt a pang in her chest. Quickly rushing to his side, she softly touched his swollen lip. He winced slightly as he turned to face her.

"Are you OK?"

He managed a small smile. "I'll be fine."

"Paul......"

"I'll be fine, I promise. I'll even let you tend to me with some TLC like you always want to do." His attempt at lightening the mood didn't work on either of them. The seriousness of what had taken place earlier was still too fresh in their minds.

"Are you going to tell me what happened back there?"

He sucked in a deep breath. He hadn't told anybody about his suspicions. After all he couldn't prove anything. But tonight had been the last straw. He had wracked his brain, trying hard to remember all the times Orton had been near his wife. And that's when he saw it. The twinkle in the other mans eye every time Stephanie appeared and the subtle anger when she left. That kiss wasn't innocent, not by a long shot. Something was going on with Randy Orton. He didn't know what the hell it was but he was certain it involved his wife and that didn't sit well with him at all.

"Paul?"

The feel of her hand running along his arm interrupted his thoughts. He looked at her. He'd never lied to her before and he didn't want to start keeping secrets in their marriage. Then again he didn't want to worry her either. "It's complicated, Steph," he sighed.

"I've never seen you so angry, Paul. What the hell is going on?" Her voice didn't rise and she kept her calm tone. She couldn't fight with him over this, especially when he was standing in front of her with a busted lip and bruised body and face. But she wanted to know what was going on.

"Alright. Give me a minute and I'll be right out OK?"

As gently as possible, she pecked his lips then left the bathroom, sitting down on the bed with a sigh as she thought about the nights events. Laying there on the mat just waiting for another man to kiss her while her husband was right there was hard enough but she knew it was all for the show. But she had been surprised when Randy had pressed his lips harder against her and lengthened the kiss. She could practically feel the satisfaction he was experiencing and if she was being honest, it kind of freaked her out. But what could she do? She couldn't push him off. She just had to lie there and take it and that pissed her off to no end. Randy had taken advantage of her vulnerable position and she had full intentions of calling him on it but her husband beat her to it, literally. Yes, Paul was protective of her but what had happened earlier had scared the hell out of her. It simply wasn't like him to go around picking fights with people. Deep down she had sensed there was something going on between the two men that she didn't know. Watching Randy lunge at him almost gave her a heart attack. Part of her wanted him to teach Randy a lesson for taking advantage of her. The other part, the more rational part, didn't want him to get hurt. She subconsciously brought her fingers to her mouth and caressed her lips.

That's how Paul found her as he emerged from the bathroom. He still held the damp cold towel to his mouth in an effort to stop the swelling. His eyes softened, taking her in. He loved her. He loved her so much it scared him sometimes and watching that no good SOB kiss her like that had stirred something inside him that he didn't know existed. He was never a violent man. Contrary to his profession and character, he never went around looking for confrontation. But there was simply no way he could let Orton get away with what he had done.

"Come here," Stephanie said patting the space beside her on the bed. He sat down next to her, smiling softly when she took his hand. "So?"

"First of all, you have to promise not to think I'm crazy when I tell you this."

The serious expression on his face didn't help the nervous fluttering in her stomach. She squeezed his hand and entwined their fingers, encouraging him to continue.

Paul took a deep breath before spilling it all. He told her everything, about all the times Randy seemed to get a twinkle in his eye every time he was near her, about the night at the hotel when the bellboy had been beaten up and their confrontation the morning after and about his suspicions that there was something going on with the other man. When he was finished, he waited patiently to see her response.

After consuming everything he had told her, Stephanie couldn't help but feel a little freaked out not to mention concerned. She too thought back to all the times Paul had spoken about and sure enough, when forced to remember, Randy's actions did seem strange, especially that night in the bar when he just up and left them for no reason. She finally looked at her husband, reaching up caress his swollen mouth. "This is crazy. What should we do? I mean, are you sure about this, Paul? Maybe you're looking into things a little too much."

He quickly snapped his head away from her and got up from the bed. "You don't believe me?"

"I do! It's just...............hard to take in. I don't know what to make of it all," she reasoned, standing up too and rubbing his shoulders. He was on edge, the tension was practically radiating off of him.

"I'm sorry............I......." his head hung low. He hadn't meant to snap at her.

"What are we going to do about this?" she sighed, pulling him into a hug. His arms pulled her tight against him as buried his face in her neck. He would never let anything happen to her. "You don't think he's.........after me or anything like that?" A nervous laugh escaped from her throat, causing his head to rise.

He gazed into her eyes and tried with conviction to tell her otherwise. But in the back of his mind he couldn't help but worry if Randy would come after her. Surely he couldn't be that stupid? They stood locked together in a tight embrace before there was a knock at the door. Breaking apart, they walked to the door and were delighted to find their daughters on the other side.

Vince and Linda stepped inside the room, watching on as the girls were swept into their parents waiting arms.

"Hey! Oh, mommy missed you so much," cooed Stephanie to a practically sleeping Murphy as she was passed into her arms. She laughed at the mumbled reply. She was too young to talk properly yet anyway.

"Daddy!" cried Aurora as he lifted her up. But her happy expression turned to a concerned little frown when she saw his swollen and cut face. Her small hand patted it softly. "Daddy sore?" she asked innocently, completely oblivious to the fact that she had instantly soured the atmosphere in the room.

Paul ignored the stern look on Vince's face and smiled at his daughter, giving her a kiss on the head. "Daddy's fine sweetheart, don't you worry." He playfully tapped her nose making her happy little smile return.

"Paul can I talk to you for a minute," interrupted Vince. His face gave nothing away as he stepped off to the side.

"Actually you can wait until I get these two to bed," Paul replied then turned and headed to the smaller of the two rooms in the suite. He didn't appreciate the scolding tone in the other man's voice.

Stephanie cringed at the pissed off look on her father's face and quickly held her hand up so silence him. "Let us put the girls to bed and then we'll talk OK?" Her eyes pleaded with her mother to try and diffuse the situation. A pissed off father and a pissed off husband was the last thing she needed after what had already happened today. She swiftly turned and joined her husband.

"But I don't want to go to bed, Daddy."

Aurora's soft whine came just as her eyes closed over causing both parents to laugh. She was forever claiming not to be tired just as she was dozing off. Paul tucked her in and kissed her cheek, then moved on to Murphy in the cot. He watched as his wife kissed their children goodnight before turning to face him. Her expression immediately became concerned.

"Please try not to freak out. You know my dad, babe. He needs to feel like he's in control otherwise he turns into an asshole!"

Paul couldn't help but smirk as they joined her parents. "I'll try," he whispered before turning his attention to his father-in-law.

"So, you want to tell me what the hell that was earlier tonight?" Vince asked without beating around the bush. To say the locker room was buzzing over the incident was an understatement.

"That was me not taking too kindly to the fact that that jackass took advantage of my wife right in front of me," Paul replied, not backing down for one second. He wasn't going to apologize for what happened because he wasn't sorry.

Stephanie sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. This wasn't going to be fun at all and from the look on her mother's face, she knew it too. "Dad, can we not do this now? It's been a long night," she offered, trying her best to make this just go away.

"No, Stephanie we will do this now. I want to know why two of my top stars, not to mention my own damn son-in-law felt the need to get in a fist fight with each other just weeks before Wrestlemania and I want to know right now dammit!" Vince glared. Even his wife's reassuring hand wasn't enough to calm his nerves.

Paul laughed sarcastically. "Maybe if you paid a little more attention you would see that what happened out there wasn't an act. That son of a bitch kissed Stephanie; he took advantage of her, Vince. What the hell did you expect me to do?"

"WHAT?" boomed Vince angrily.

"Will you be quiet? You're going to wake the girls!" Stephanie hissed. Her eyes pleaded with her husband, silently asking him to calm down. There was no getting through to her father but Paul was a little more rational than that.

"Look, why don't we all try to calm down a little here, alright? Vince, I'm pretty sure Paul doesn't need to be yelled at right now. Let's just sit down and talk about this," said Linda, the voice of reason. A few more minutes of this and there was a chance of another fist fight breaking out. She knew her husband and she knew her son-in-law too. Both were as stubborn as they come and the best thing for everyone right now would be to calm down.

"What the hell do you mean he took advantage of her?" Vince hissed, angrily plopping down on the sofa.

Inwardly Paul groaned. He really didn't want to do this. Vince was such a pain in the ass sometimes. "The script said Orton was supposed to peck her, not actually kiss her for five fucking minutes!"

"I think you're exaggerating and he was improvising!" Vince shrugged his shoulders. "You do it all the time, I don't see what the big deal is.

"Yeah, Vince," Paul laughed sarcastically. "How many times have I '_improvised_' with another man's wife, huh? I actually can't believe you aren't seeing this for what it is."

"Then tell me dammit! What do you know that I don't? What aren't you telling me?"

Stephanie saw the desperation on her father's face and sighed. They couldn't just tell him; especially when there was no way of proving anything they suspected. How the hell were they going to get out of this one?

"You want to know? I'll tell you," Paul fumed solving his wife's problem for her. "There's something going on with Orton, Vince. Ever since this storyline began he's been different. He doesn't hang around with any of the guys anymore, he's alienated Cody and Ted, he doesn't speak to his wife and hasn't seen his daughter in weeks, I think he was the one that beat up that bellboy the other week and he very clearly has something for Stephanie. After all, he was the one that suggested this go down. I don't know what the hell it is but I swear to God there's something going on with him, Vince. I just know it."

The room fell silent as everybody took in what Paul had just said. Stephanie gently rubbed her husband's knee in an attempt to calm him down. Linda sat there in a stunned silence not quite able to believe what her son-in-law had just said while Vince wore an unreadable expression. They all waited for some sort of reaction from him.

After a while, Stephanie got fed up waiting. "So?"

"You think he has a thing for Stephanie and that he was responsible for putting somebody in the hospital? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? For Christ sakes Paul he's your friend!"

Paul cautiously ran a hand over his beaten face. "I know it sounds ridiculous. Trust me, I've went over this a million times in my head but it all makes sense. It might be harder for you to understand but I've seen the look on his face, Vince, the look in his eyes. He's not the same person anymore. Can't you see? He looks at Stephanie like she's a piece of meat. That kiss wasn't an act. He had his opportunity and he took it. I'm not sorry for what I did tonight, Vince. There's simply no way I could have stood back and let him do whatever the hell he wanted."

"You really believe this, Paul?" asked Linda. She never had reason to doubt him before and the conviction in his voice wasn't false. He truly believed what he was saying.

"I do," he replied looking her right in the eye.

"And you, Stephanie?" she quizzed her daughter.

Stephanie gripped her husband's leg a little tighter. "I could feel it when he kissed me out there Mom. Something's going on with him."

"Then so do I," Linda concluded, firmly nodding her head and taking side with her family.

Vince looked at all three of them. He sensed it in his son-in-law's voice. He wasn't lying. He had never lied to him before. In all the years he'd known Paul not once did he ever get into a fight with anybody and he knew that he loved Stephanie with everything in him and that he would protect her at all costs. If this was what they believed then what reason had he to doubt them? He nodded his head in affirmation. "OK. So what do we do about this?"

"I don't know, Dad. I don't know."

Stephanie's whispered reply left a bad taste in all their mouths. How were they going to deal with this? Wrestlemania was just around the corner. Triple H vs. Randy Orton was the main event. The entire situation was an absolute disaster. Should they involve the police? Or should they take it into their own hands? An ominous silence lingered in the room. Things could only go from bad to worse.


	13. They Talk To Me

**A/N** - Please forgive me if this isn't up to scratch. I haven't written any fic in almost a month so I'm sorry if this is a bit sucky compared to the rest lol. During my little break, the plans for this fic changed drastically. Expect things to go a little crazy for these next few chapters. And when I say crazy, without giving too much away, I'm talking movie-hostage-type-situation crazy!! I've decided that I may as well go all out with this thing. Afterall, it's not too often that you get to play around with the mind of a psycho, ha!! Major thanks to **QueenofyourWorld, Christina89, x0allissonqt0x, StephMcMahon21, CerebralPrincess, missbean1997, stephrockprincess, Jelemo, axxechikka** (Btw, don't be afraid to suggest anything to me. I don't bite!), **ceruleanskye1212, Team Novak, rayanr55, PaulluvsSteph **and** GirlonFire** for reviewing the last chapter. I'm glad you all liked seeing things from everybody else's POV. There might be another one of those coming up pretty soon. Anyways, I know this is a little short but I wanted to get something up to get the juices flowing again. Enjoy!

* * *

"Dammit! Dammit! DAMMIT!"

The sound of my voice crashes against the walls as I pace angrily around the hotel room. Too much has happened. I expected a reaction from Paul but not this. I've been foolish. I let my need for Stephanie take over and it forced me to make a stupid mistake. Now everybody knows. They ALL know that something is going on and will be watching me closely. I have to make my move soon. As these thoughts run through my head, a strange sensation quickly engulfs my body. I can't feel the pain from the fight earlier. No. The only thing I can feel running frantically through my veins is my complete and absolute want for Stephanie. I can feel it building..............and building........................and building. My breathing becomes erratic and I clutch at my head.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" My body craves release.

I need to have her and it needs to be now. My legs start moving of their own accord, taking long strides until I'm out the door and desperately searching the halls for her. I don't know where she's at. But I MUST find her.

"Randy are you.............."

"CODY!" I snap my head around to find a slightly frightened expression on the younger man's face. My arms grip his shoulders tightly. "What room are Paul and Stephanie staying in?"

"I.................I..............I don't kn......know....." he stutters pathetically making me snarl in the process.

"God dammit Cody you're good for nothing, you know that!" I shrug him away and continue my search. In the back of my mind I'm pleading with my body to go back to my hotel room and wait this out but it's not listening. It craves her. I crave her. And I don't care if Paul is there. I'll take that fucker out for good this time. I hopelessly search the rest of the floor before the adrenaline rush wears off. I can feel my body getting heavy now. I need to sit down. I need to............... I slump against the wall, brushing random hands and bodies away from me. I can't make them out. My vision is blurred. I practically drag my heavy limbs through the door of my hotel room. I fall back against it, closing it in the process before slumping down the hard wood. I'm lying helplessly on the ground now. My head is aching. Throbbing. Images flash through my mind as I clutch my scalp in pain.

Red. Blood. My hands. A face. Paul's face. His limp body. My face. A smile. Sam. Alana. Darkness. Stephanie. Stephanie. Stephanie.

She's the only thing I can see. She's the only thing I want to see. She's consumed me. And I will have her. As I sit there in the dark of the hotel room an idea springs to mind. We are in St. Louis for a house show in two days. I'm going home. The images come to a sudden stop. A smile spreads across my face. Home. That is where it will end. That is where I will finally get what I've been wanting for so long. That is where I will have her. And that is where I will bring an end to that fucker of a husband of hers.


	14. A Plan Set In Motion

**A/N** - Yeah, so this is another short one but they are all leading somewhere so don't worry. Actually, If I had of written anymore I would have started to worry myself about my ability to write the thoughts of a madman for so long!! Thanks to **x0allisonqt0x, missbean1997, Steph McMahon21, stephrockprincess, Team Novak, Cerebral Princess, QueenofyourWorld, GirlonFire, KKDollZ, axxechikka** and **rayanr55** for reviewing the last chapter. The next chapter will be reckoning day and trust me, all freaking hell is about to break loose!! I'm quite afraid of my inner Randy atm. The things he wants to do are just insane!! But anyways, let me know what you think and hopefully I'll have the next one up pretty soon.

* * *

The house is quiet as I walk inside. My eyes squint in the darkness, my hand helplessly jutting out to flick on a light. There's nobody here. The place doesn't look like anybody's been in it in days. Maybe Sam has gone to her parents. I really don't give a damn where she is. In fact, I'm happy that she's gone. Now I won't have to consider her as a factor in my plan. I thought I was going to have to figure out a way to get to St. Louis on time to set things up but that was practically sorted for me too. After the fight with Paul yesterday, I didn't really know what to expect. When I arrived to the arena today, Vince called me to his office. I could see the venom in his eyes and I absolutely revelled in it when all he did was send me home. No police. No Action. Nothing. He sent me home. I'm sure the son-in-law loved that. Whether he knows it or not, Vince has played right into my hands. He's taken me away from Stephanie. Just knowing that she was in such close proximity was making me lose my focus. But now my full attention is on coming up with a plan to get her here and to make her stay.

"Thank you, Vince," I mutter happily to myself as I walk through the kitchen and head towards the utility closet. I pull it open and immediately spot what I am looking for. The silver tape is rough against my fingers. So is the heavy rope that I take out along with it. I bring them with me into the living room and sit down on the comfortable sofa. There was a time when all I wanted was to come home and see my wife and daughter. But that's all changed. The only thing that will make me happy is finally, _finally_ achieving the satisfaction of having Stephanie McMahon. I creak my neck from side to side as a slow smile spreads across my face. I've tasted her once. Just that thought alone makes my body tingle. And I will taste her again. And not just her lips this time. All of her. I set the duck tape and rope on the coffee table before cracking my knuckles. I stare at my hands, clenching them into fists. These are my weapons. I can't describe how good it felt to ram them into Paul's face. It almost felt as good as having his wife's lips pressed against my own. But this time I will do more than that. As much as I want her, having Stephanie isn't enough anymore. I need to make him see it, make him watch it. I need to make him listen as his wife calls MY name in the throes of passion. I want him to feel how helpless I have felt for the past few months. How everyday has been a struggle not to just reach out and take her. He will feel my pain. I'll make damn well sure of it. I smile as I look at the other object I took from the kitchen. The cold hard steel glints under the light of the bulb up above. It makes me smile. Yes, Paul, you will feel my pain indeed.


	15. The Viper Strikes

**A/N** - Heloooooooooo people! Long time no read lol. You can read my apologies for being such a sucky updater on my profile page. As always, thanks to everybody that reviewed the last chapter and all those before it. I hope I haven't lost my touch when it comes to this one. I'll let you guys be the judge. Please R&R and tell me what you think!!

* * *

Drip.

Drop.

Drip.

Drop.

Rain pours from the heavens, falling rhythmically onto my head. I let the cold water run over my face. My eyes close tightly as I think about what I'm about to do, what I'm about to get. I can't stop the smile from forming on my face. This is it. This is the beginning of the end. For the Levesque's anyways. A heavy metal door slams shut and the sound of chatter follows. My eyes snap open. I stay hidden behind my car as I watch the small group of men hastily head for some form of shelter. It's time to make my move.

"HEY!"

The group stops and turns to face me. I see the fear in their eyes as they realise who they are talking to. I'm pretty sure everybody and their mother knows about what went down between me and Paul by now. Fear. It's such a wonderful thing. "I need one of you to do me a favour."

They all stand and look at each other. Maybe they aren't scared enough. "I said, I need one of you to do me a favour. Now."

"Wha..........what do you need, Randy?"

Perfect. I throw my arm around his shoulder and pull him away from his friends. I glare at them over his shoulder and they quickly scatter. "That's some real good friends you've got there......."

"Matthew," he stutters.

"Right. Well, Matthew, I've got something I need you to do for me. And I'm warning you right now, if you tell anybody what I'm about to tell you, I swear to God you'll live to regret it." I squeeze his shoulder hard. "Do you understand me?"

He pathetically nods his head. "Ye........Yes, I understand."

"Good. Now listen carefully. The show is almost over. I want you to go back there and give this to Stephanie McMahon." I hand him an envelope. I can see his eyes gloss over with curiosity and my hand grips his violently. "DO NOT, look inside. DO NOT tell her it came from me and DO NOT mention this little conversation at all." He gulps and nods like the pathetic little piece of crap he is. "Do it during the last match when Triple H is fighting alright? And one more thing, when you hand over that letter, I want you to get the hell out of dodge. Don't talk to anybody. Just leave. You got it?"

"I got it, Randy. I got it," he mumbles. I let go of his hand and gently shove him in the direction of the door. I glance through the windows of the car. The sight of the duck tape and rope give me a reassuring feeling. This will work. I know it will. There's no way she'll sit on her hands with a letter like that.

Now all I have to do is wait.

* * *

The splatter of the rain against the heavy metal door rang through her ears as she angrily pushed it open. The letter burned her hand as her eyes swept over the parking lot. She spotted the black car over in the corner and immediately marched towards it. What kind of sick freak would send her something like that. Her body was practically shaking with anger. She reached the sleek black vehicle only to find nothing.

"Show yourself!"

Again, nothing. There was nobody there. In fact there was nobody outside but her. She glanced around the deserted parking lot again. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous about her eerily quiet surroundings. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Damn her temper. As if out of nowhere, a tall figure emerged from behind the car. When she finally realised who it was her face curled up in disgust.

"Where the hell do you think you get off, huh? Sending me this letter about my kids. What the hell is going on?" She angrily threw the letter at him. It knocked off his chest and fell to the ground, immediately turning to mush with the force of the rain. Her fiery blue eyes were staring a hole right through him but he didn't seem affected in the slightest. In fact, she swore she saw the beginnings of a smile on his face.

"Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie. How great it is to see you." The smile on his face only got bigger as he fully stepped out of the shadows.

Stephanie took in his appearance. He was completely soaked and looked like he had been out there for ages. What the hell was he up to? "Cut the crap, Randy."

"You're always so straightforward. I really do love that about you, Steph. You're a _McMahon_ through and through," he replied putting emphasis on her maiden name.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "It's Levesque actually." A great sense of satisfaction swept over her body at the pissed off expression on his face. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes before they quickly snapped open again. But that sudden sense of satisfaction was quickly replaced by fear when she saw the look in his eyes. He almost looked quietly possessed.

"I really wish you hadn't said that." His eerily calm voice was the last thing she heard before he lunged at her. He quickly yanked her arms behind her back and tied the rope around them. She screamed but her mouth was promptly covered with a strip of duck tape. The whole thing happened so quickly. Only when she was shoved into the back of the car and it sped off into the night did she fully realise what had just happened. She struggled with everything she had to break free from the rope but it was too tight. His faint laughter drifted in from the front of the car.

"Don't fight it, Stephanie. We both know you want this. And even if you don't...." He reached into the back of the car and caressed her face softly. "I'll make you want it."

A hard smile crossed his face before he turned back and drove to wherever he was taking them. How could she have been so stupid? Here she was, tied up, gagged and at the mercy of a deranged Randy Orton. As the reality of her situation became more and more apparent, so too did her fears. Her eyes stung with the tears that began to spill down her cheeks. She could only hope that Paul figured out what had happened and came after her. But with that thought came another one all together. What would Randy do to her husband if he got the chance? She choked back a sob. That was what this was all about. This was all a ploy so that Randy could get his hands on him. God knows what would have happened had somebody not broken up their fight. She couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen if they got into another one.


	16. The Chase Is On

**A/N** - I really love reading all your opinions about this lol. They make me chuckle. I'm sorry about this being so short but I'm trying to build the suspense. Is it working?? OK, that was mean lol. Anyways, thanks again for leaving me a review and I hope there won't be too much of a break in between updates!

* * *

Paul finished doing the buttons of his shirt and pulled on his jacket before grabbing his bag and heading out of the room. He quickly made his way to the gorilla position, again only to find nothing.

"JR, have you seen Steph?"

"No. I haven't seen her since you went out there actually," he replied. "Maybe you should try her office?"

Paul sighed. "I've been trying there since I came to the back. She's not answering her cell phone and nobody's seen her since my match."

JR's expression changed to match the concerned one on the younger man's face. "I don't think anything's happened. She may have just gone back to the hotel. As a matter of fact, I think I remember her heading to the parking lot with one of the ring crew just as your match started. She seemed like she was in a hurry."

"Thanks, Jim," Paul called over his shoulder as he made a beeline for the ring. He walked down the ramp to find a few guys still packing it up along with some of the refs. "Hey, have any of you guys seen Stephanie?"

"No Trip. Last I saw her was when I came out to call your match," replied Mike Chioda as he struggled with one of the turnbuckles.

"Same here, man," piped in Charles Robinson.

Paul turned to look at the small group of ring crew. None of them had answered. "What about you guys?"

"Ahhh.......no.....we ain't seen her. Sorry," replied one of the group. No matter how hard he tried to mask his nerves, the heavy bobbing of his Adam's apple gave them away. Paul stared at him curiously. He looked......suspicious.

"Why do you look so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous," the same man chuckled. He looked between his friends, his eyes begging for support but none came.

"You can't tell him, man!"

"We have to!"

Paul listened to the whispers of the men before he lost it. "Look, my patience is wearing thin here guys. If you know something, spit it out. I don't have time for games," he practically spat at them. If they didn't start talking he was going to beat it out of them.

"Alright. We were heading out to grab a quick dinner before the end of the show when we bumped into......Randy..... and he........" one started but didn't get to finish.

"Randy Orton?"

The young man suddenly grew afraid at the look in the older man's eyes. "Yea........Yeah, Randy Orton."

Paul swallowed the lump that formed in the back of his throat while his hands clenched into fists. "One of you better tell me what happened right now or I swear I will beat the shit out of all of you!" His raised voice caused a few of the refs to turn and stare but he didn't care. As soon as Orton's name had been mentioned he felt physically sick. The fucker disgusted him.

"We bumped into Randy outside and he said he needed a favour from one of us. We didn't go but Matthew, our friend, did. We didn't see him again until he came to the diner we were eating at and told us that..........that Randy gave him a letter to give to Stephanie McMahon and that he had to go back to the hotel right away. He seemed pretty freaked out."

"Jesus!" Paul ran a hand over his face. What the hell was going on? "You guys are coming with me. I need to find out what the hell was in that letter and I need to speak to your friend."

"But we have to finish with the ri............"

"You're finished. Let's go," Paul ordered, grabbing two of them and marching them towards the parking lot. They stepped outside into a light drizzle. The rain had finally started to ease up. As Paul walked towards his rental, something on the ground caught his eye. He quickly trotted towards it and picked it up. It was an absolutely soaked envelope but the name on the front was unmistakeable. "Stephanie," he said solemnly. He quickly pulled the mushed up letter from inside and his face screwed up as he tried his best to decipher the smudged words. He couldn't make it all out but he had read enough to make his blood boil. "That fucking son of a bitch! I'll kill him!" He angrily stuffed the paper into his pocket and marched to the car. "Get in. And you better pray to God that you're buddy is at the hotel." As they sped off into the night, Paul's mind was spinning, trying to piece together what exactly it was that was happening right now. He didn't know much. But from what he did know, he didn't like it one damn bit.


	17. A Little Conversation

**A/N** - Thanks for the reviews guys. From here on in, the POV is going to jump around a bit as I feel like everybody's thoughts and feelings need to be read to fully grasp what's going on rather than just Randy's. As always, I hope you like it!

* * *

She took deep breaths through her nose. The tape around her mouth prevented her from taking the much needed gasps of air that she craved. His hands were on her arms, marching her throughout the dark house. She knew where she was. He had taken her to his home. Her heart dropped at that thought. What the hell was he planning on doing to her? They finally reached a set of stairs. She struggled to climb them, her legs aching after being cramped in the car for so long. Not to mention the fact that they were like jelly. She was scared to death. She walked aimlessly until they came to a stop. Randy pushed the door open, an overwhelmingly satisfied smile on his face. She felt sick to her stomach every time she looked at him. He gave her a gentle shove inside. Her eyes swept over her surroundings. They were in a bedroom. His bedroom. She tried not to panic as he advanced towards her.

"Don't be afraid, Stephanie. I'm not going to hurt you," Randy said softly. He stood in front of her and pressed his chest tight against hers as his arms reached behind her to untie the rope holding her hands in place. With one final tug, the tight knot came free. Stephanie instantly pulled her arms from behind her back and began to inspect them. She took a step away from him only to be pulled tight back into his chest. His hands were caressing her back now. She closed her eyes as they dipped lower.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to have you in my arms," he breathed, his eyes glazing over almost euphorically. His hands slowly moved from her back to her face where he gently began to tug at the silver tape covering her mouth. He got half way before he stopped and leaned down slightly so that their eyes were level. "If I take this off you have to promise not to scream. Trust me, it will only mean that bad things will happen if you do. Do we have a deal?"

Stephanie slowly nodded her head. He had a maniacal glint in his eye. She had never seen anything like it before. She guessed that this is what it was like to stare into the eyes of a madman. She just never dreamed that those eyes would belong to Randy Orton; the young man who not that long ago, her husband said had all the talent in the world but had no direction, the same young man that had turned into a husband and a father, who had interacted with her own damn kids. What in the hell had prompted this?

Randy smiled at the nod of her head and as gently as he could, pulled the tape off. He watched as she took in a deep breath and brought her hands to her mouth, her fingers rubbing at her sore lips. He simply couldn't believe that she was standing in front of him right now. He had everything he ever wanted in his grasp. Well, not everything. The only thing left was for her dick of a husband to eventually come bounding in, thinking he's going to save the day only to get caught and then forced to watch as another man has their way with his wife. No matter how badly he wanted to just take her, he knew he had to wait.

"So, why don't you take a seat? We aren't the only people invited to this party," he laughed for a moment before a sinister look crossed his face.

Stephanie gulped. Paul. He was waiting for him. He was waiting for Paul to come so he could.......she didn't know what the hell he planned on doing. Despite her situation, she needed answers. "What's going on here, Randy? What are you doing? Do you know you can go to prison over this? For God sakes this is kidnapping!"

Randy looked at her for a second before laughing right in her face. So she was going to try and talk him out of it. He was actually looking forward to hearing what she had to say. "Oh?" he replied simply. He held back the laugh that tried to escape at the look on her face.

"Oh? Is that all you have to say? You could go to jail, Randy. What about your wife? What about Alana?" She cried desperately. Suddenly he moved so that he was right in her face.

"This IS NOT about them. This is about me. And you. And your husband," he spat the words at her, his eyes growing dark with anger.

"What are you going to do to him?" she asked quietly. Part of her wanted to know. The other part didn't want.

Randy moved even closer. She could feel his warm breath on her ear. "What am I going to do to him? I'm going to finish what I started after Raw the other night. Only this time, there isn't going to be anybody to hold me back. I'm going to....." he paused and drew a deep breath. He creaked his neck. "Beat. The. Fucking. Hell. Out. Of. Him. I'm going to......destroy him. And when it's over, and he can't stand on his own feet, I'm going to make him watch ME give HIS wife the time of her life. And you will enjo........."

He didn't get to go any further, the hard slap that marred his face stopping his speech. He quickly whipped his head back to look at her. Her face looked different. Hard. Her eyes looked.......defiant. She was glaring at him. His head titled curiously as he rubbed his cheek. "What? You think he isn't going to come for you?"

"I know he'll come. And I know that you're going to have a hard time doing what you plan to do. Don't forget, Randy. There were people holding him back too," she replied. Her stomach was churning. Her knees were starting to shake. And her heart was breaking at the thought of what was inevitably going to happen when Paul showed up. But she was determined not to let him know that she was scared. She wouldn't give in. Not to him.

"You think he can take me? No, no, no Stephanie. No, can't. And you want to know why? Because if he even tries anything..." he took a few steps until he was right in her face. His hand ran through her hair. "I've got you," he said simply.

Stephanie shuddered. She knew Paul wouldn't risk anything happening to her. And if that meant that he would suffer as a result then that's exactly what he would do. She glared at the man before her as an intense hatred she had never felt in her life towards anybody before coursed through her veins. "You disgust me, Randy." Her face screwed up into a snarl as she spat the sentence out of her mouth. She felt his body tense. It wasn't very wise of her to piss him off but she couldn't help it. She was a McMahon after all. A fiery temper was in her nature.

"I disgust you, huh? No more than your dick of a husband disgusts me. And when he shows up, I'm going to show him exactly how much he disgusts me. But that won't be for a while. You see, first, he has to figure out where you are. And we all know Paul isn't the smartest guy in the world. After all, he did allow his wife to get kissed by a man he knew had a thing for her on national television. When you think about it like that, Steph, don't you feel like asking yourself, 'Does he really love me?'" He laughed at the pissed off expression that crossed her face. It was too much fun getting under her skin. And it proved as a sufficient distraction from what he really wanted to do to her. But that was for later. Now, they had to wait. He gently sat her down on the bed, inwardly smiling when she jerked at his touch. "Don't be nervous. You've got a long wait before your _hero_ comes along. You may just hope he gets here in time. I don't think I can wait much longer."

His eyes looked at her hungrily, causing her to shiver at the mere thought of him touching her intimately. As he walked towards the window, she joined her hands in a silent prayer. She prayed that she would get through this. She prayed that he didn't actually go through with what he said he wanted to do. And she prayed that her husband made it here and got her away. She knew he would come for her. It was just a matter of when.


	18. A Race Against Time

**A/N** - Hello people. Sorry about the lateness. I suck, what's new! Anyways, I know this is short but I don't want the different scenes running into each other so I've decided to do them separate for now. Thank for your awesome feedback and I hope you enjoy!

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"OPEN THE DOOR DAMMIT!"

Almost instantly the hotel room door flung open. Paul glared at the man inside. Not waiting for an invitation, he walked into the room.

"I need you to tell me what the hell went down with you and Randy Orton earlier tonight," he demanded. In his mind, he wasn't _asking_.

Matthew's eyes were wide as he stared at the infuriated man in his hotel room. He started to kick himself over the fact that he didn't just leave the city. If he did he wouldn't be here right now feeling like he was about to get his ass kicked. "I don't know what you.........."

Paul angrily stepped forward and grabbed him by his shirt. "Don't fuck with me, kid. You better start talking or I swear to God...." he trailed off, not needing to finish his sentence.

"I..........I........gave her the........letter. I don't know..........what was inside, I swear," Matthew stuttered. How could he have been so stupid?

Paul's grip tightened, his eyes glinting dangerously. "When? When did you give it to her and what did she do?"

Matthew swallowed hard. "He told me to wait until your match. She was waiting around the curtain watching. I called her over and gave her the note. She asked me who I got it from and I told her that the person wanted to meet her outside. She read the letter and then stormed out. I don't know what happened after. I came straight back here."

"You're getting your ass fired for this," Paul muttered under his breath as he began to pace. His mind was spinning a mile a minute. Where the hell were they? He released his grip on the other man and shoved him slightly. "Where the fuck did they go?" he asked almost to himself.

Matthew brushed himself off. He watched the older man in fear. He didn't know Paul Levesque personally and right now he was every bit the character he played on TV. To say he was scared was an understatement. "Maybe they went back to his place?"

Paul looked at him. "What?"

Realising his choice of words might not be the best things to say given his situation, he elaborated. "Orton lives here right?"

"That's it. You're right. He's taken her to his house. I don't even know where that is. Shit!" Paul rambled. He yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and immediately dialled the WWE Offices in Stamford. No answer. He checked the time and realised that they wouldn't be open at this time of the night. "Fuck. Who would know, who would know?" he asked himself. He quickly found another number on his phone and hit the call button. The person answered after a few rings. "Dave. Do you know where Orton lives?"

"Hey Paul. How are you, man?" said Dave Batista. He hadn't heard from his friend in a while but everybody knew what had happened at Raw. Locker room gossip was quick to spread about the smallest of things but this, this was the mother load.

Paul sighed as he rubbed at his face. "Dave, I need to know where Orton's house is. Do you know?"

"Why? You're not going to do anything stupid are you?"

"Dave, PLEASE! If you know just tell me. It's important," Paul pleaded.

"So is you not going to jail. Steph would kick my ass if..........."

"I'm asking as a friend. Please, just tell me. I won't do anything stupid. I just need to talk to him, that's all."

There was a pause before Dave finally gave in. "He lives just outside St. Louis. It's in an estate called Haven Lane. But please just promise me that you won't........"

Paul sighed in relief. "I won't," he lied. "And thank you." He hung up and completely forgetting about Matthew, made his way out of the room and down to his rental car. Thankfully it had a GPS system installed. He punched in the estate and a few seconds later directions popped up on the small screen. The estimated arrival time was just over an hour. That wasn't good enough. God knows what the hell he was doing to her. He stopped himself from even thinking about that. He couldn't. Instead he put the pedal to the metal and sped off into the night. He didn't care if he broke the speed limit. He just needed to get to his wife.


	19. A Spanner In The Works

**A/N** - Thanks for your reviews guys. To cover my ass I'll just put a little warning up here. Things get a little heated in this one and not in a good way lol. Well, not in a good way for Steph. Randy on the other hand.........!

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The gentle ticking of the clock mixed with heavy footsteps was the only sound in the room. Randy paced back and forth anxiously. He didn't know how long he could do this. He glanced over at Stephanie. She sat on the bed, her eyes trained to the ground. She didn't look the least bit scared but he knew that she was. Her hands were slightly shaking and every now and then he would see a panicked expression mar her beautiful features. Even in her current state he found her irresistible. He just couldn't wait any longer.

His quick footsteps caused her to look in his direction. She saw him advancing towards her and took a deep breath. He finally came to a stop just in front of her.

"Is he always so late?"

She fought the urge to scoff at him. "Why don't you give him a call and tell him where we are. I'm sure he'd love to come and kick your ass," she said coldly. The more time she spent with him the more her stomach turned.

Randy laughed at her misguided faith in her husband. "Now that would just ruin all the fun, me telling him where we are. You see, when he arrives, I want him to be worked up and pissed off. I want him to be in such a state that he can't think straight. And then I'll capitalise on his stupidity. Trust me, Stephanie," he reached out and caressed her face, ignoring how she turned away from his touch. "There's only one thing I want just as badly as I want you. And that's to beat the shit outta your beloved Paul," he spat at her. Every time he said the other man's name he felt sick. The fucker needed to get there and fast. He was quickly losing his patience.

"What happened to you, Randy? Where is all this coming from?"

Her desperate plea caused nothing but an annoyed frown to cross his face. "Why do you act so surprised? You never really knew me. And even if you did, you would know that when I want something I make sure that I get it. Luckily for you, you're exactly what I want, Stephanie. For months I watched you, feeling this.............this........fire, burn deep inside me. It was starting to consume me. So I decided to do something about it. And here we are."

Stephanie shook her head slightly as she listened to him. He was crazy. There was absolutely no denying it now. This was not the Randy Orton she knew. This was a mad man. But even as she looked into his cold eyes she still couldn't believe what was actually happening. The fact that he had kidnapped her and they were sitting waiting for her husband to show up was hard to grasp. The whole thing just felt surreal.

"What?" He asked as he got to his knees and placed his hands on her thighs, delighting in her sharp intake of breath. He moved his face close to hers and breathed her in. "You have nothing to say?" He began to run his hands higher and higher up her leg. They were getting dangerously close to touching her in a place he had no business in touching.

Her hands shook as she placed them over his and stopped them from going any further. "Don't," she whispered, her eyes snapping shut. She couldn't look at him. She didn't want to see the satisfaction on his face.

"Don't?" He laughed wickedly. "Why, Stephanie, if I didn't know any better I would start to think that you really wanted me to stop." A euphoric feeling swept over him as he pushed his hands up with complete disregard for her wishes. She began to struggle, her hands trying with everything in them to push him away. With one quick motion he had her pinned beneath him on the bed. He pressed himself into her and sighed. Finally having his body pressed against her felt so good.

Stephanie squirmed relentlessly. She didn't want him anywhere near her. She managed to pull her hands free and immediately began pushing at him, desperately trying to get him the hell off her but it was to no use. He pushed back, his hands grasping her arms and forcing them back against the bed. His face moved to her neck and she yelped at the feel of his lips on her skin. She could feel the tears stinging the back of her eyes as the reality of what was about to happen set in. He lifted his head and his heated, glazed over eyes stared into hers for just a second before he moved in and kissed her. She fought with all she had in a vain attempt to stop him going any further but he was too strong. He squeezed her arms tightly. She would have cried out in pain if his mouth wasn't fused against hers. He took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside. When she didn't respond he decided to try something different and pushed him hands up her top. An overwhelming feeling of disgust developed within her and with a force she didn't know she had, she somehow managed to push him away and wriggle free from his grasp. She tried to move off the bed but he lunged forward and trapped her to the bed once more. Just as he was about to move in again, the sound of a car coming to a sudden stop outside caught their attention. Randy paused for a second before quickly moving to the window. He saw a dark figure get out of the car and move towards the front door of the house and couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face. This was it. He was here.

"Finally," he snarled before quickly turning his attention back to Stephanie. He grabbed the duct tape and swiftly covered her mouth. Her tear stained cheeks were lost on him. What he had just done felt wonderful but he knew that getting his hands on Paul would be even better. Well, until he got to touch all of her. Nothing would top that.

She sat there in a stunned silence as he taped her hands behind her back. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest at the thought of Paul being here. She didn't know what was going to happen now. Knowing her husband he would be out to kill Randy and she wasn't joking. If he had even the slightest notion that he had touched her the way he just had it would send him over the edge. She just hoped to God that he didn't arrive in the state Randy predicted that he would. His figure was a blur as he ran out the door. Within seconds he returned. Stephanie gasped when she saw the hunting knife he gripped in his right hand. A desperate fear gripped her stomach and she struggled against the bed whilst trying to yell through the tape covering her mouth. She couldn't let Paul walk in here when he had a knife.

"Shut up!" Randy hissed, glaring dangerously at her. When she began to move towards him he lost it and promptly slapped her hard across the face, sending her flying back onto the bed. He got back into his position behind the door and held the knife high, poised to strike the minute Paul entered the room.

He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Until finally the sound of soft footsteps creeping up the stairs could be heard. His body was tense, every nerve on edge as he anticipated what was to happen next. The footsteps got closer and after an excruciating few seconds, the door was gently pushed open. Randy was just about pounce when the flock of brunette hair caught his attention. He almost dropped the knife in shock as the person walked fully into the room and stared at him with frightened eyes.

Stephanie held her face in pain. He had slapped her so hard that she was only just getting her bearings back. She lifted her head to see Randy standing there and he wasn't alone. A petite brown haired woman stood in front of him. Her bleary eyes couldn't make out who it was but Randy's shocked voice said it all.

"Sam?"


	20. Waiting Game

**A/N** - Thanks for the feedback guys. This one is nearing the end I'm afraid. There's only a few chapters left so soak it up while you can lol.

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"What the hell are you doing here?" I yelled. Sam. Fucking Sam! Of all the times she could have shown up it had to be now. She was going to screw everything up.

"Randy......I......I......"

I looked into her scared eyes and realised that she was staring at the knife I still held over her head. I brought it down and glared at her. Her attention was drawn to the left at the sound of a soft whimper. I watched as she looked at Stephanie, then back at me, her eyes wide with fear.

"What's going on here? I.............I...........don't even know what to say," she sobbed.

I could see the tears welling up in her eyes but I didn't care. She wasn't supposed to be here and she had the potential to mess this up and I was not going to let that happen. "Then don't say anything. Actually, I want you to answer this question though." I moved closer to her and took her by the arm. She yelped as I threw her across the room. She landed on the bed next to Stephanie. "Why did you come here, huh? You're going to fuck everything up, Sam!"

"I live here! For God sakes, Randy, look at you! What are you doing?"

I recognized the pissed off tone in her voice and didn't like it one damn bit. Maybe I should teach her a lesson. As she began to tend to Stephanie's bruised face I lost it. No one was allowed to touch her, nobody but me. I stormed to the bed and practically lifted her up before dumping her onto the ground. I knelt to her level and stared her right in the eye to make sure she got the message. "Do not interfere in this, Sam. If you know what's good for you, you'll sit there and shut the fuck up." Her face fell. I had never spoken to her like that before. In the past, if anybody had even dared to swear at her I would have knocked them on their ass. But that was then. Now I could care less what she did. I didn't want her. I didn't love her. I just needed Stephanie.

"Randy!"

Stephanie's loud gasp caused me to turn my head. She was staring at me with those beautiful blue eyes. She looked horrified. My eyes ran over the red mark on her cheek and I winced. I didn't mean to hurt her. Forgetting about my wife, I quickly moved to her side and caressed her cheek. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Stephanie. You know that don't you?"

Her eyes glanced at Sam. I could see the apology she held within her gaze and quickly gripped her chin, forcing her to look at me. "You know I didn't mean to hurt you, right?"

"Yes. I know," she whispered after a long pause. I held her cheek in my hand for a few more seconds before gently easing her onto the bed. Then I turned my attention to Sam who still lay on the ground. I grabbed the duct tape from the nightstand and bent down beside her.

"Don't take it personally," I spoke as I began to tape her hands behind her back. She couldn't even look at me. "I just don't.....feel anything for you anymore. For months, _months_, I've been longing for Stephanie until I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to do something about it, Sam. I had to......."

"You had to what, Randy? Kiss her on national TV, huh? Start a fight backstage with Paul? And the icing on the cake, you KIDNAPPED her! For God sakes, you're going to go to jail. This is a felony!"

That was enough of that crap. I quickly placed some tape over her mouth to shut her up. "Don't you think I know that? Both of you! You act like I haven't thought this out but I have, right down to last detail." I pulled her over to the far side of the room and tied her to the radiator. "And for the record, I don't give a shit what happens so long as I get what I want. And for that to happen all I need is for Paul to make an appearance and we can get this show on the road."

I look at both of them one more time before heading back to my position behind the window. I pulled back the curtains and glanced out into the darkness. Come on, Paul. Show yourself. I gripped the knife tighter in my hand. My body was getting tense again. If he didn't show up soon I was going to lose it. I could hardly keep it together as it was. Stephanie was only steps away and my yearning for her was only getting stronger. Was it really worth it to wait for Paul? I remembered what it felt like to have my body pressed against her. That pleasure would only multiply knowing that Paul was standing there watching without being able to do anything about it. I couldn't stop the sick smile that crossed my face. Oh it was most certainly worth it.


	21. Start Game

**A/N** - Thanks so much for all your wonderful feedback guys. Well this is it, the big confrontation you've all been waiting for. I haven't really written a big fight scene like this other than the initial fight between the two earlier in this fic so I hope I did it justice. Anyways, please read and let me know if it lived up to expectations. I've never felt so much pressure about writing a chapter before lol.

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The GPS system beeped indicating that he had reached his destination. Paul let out a weary sigh as he began to scan the tree lined street. Dave didn't give him a house number but somehow he felt that he wouldn't need it. He parked the car and got out, looking around him at the dark houses. It was late. He began to walk until he felt a shiver run down his spine. He turned to the right and just felt something click in his brain. This was the one, he just knew it. Just then something grabbed his attention as it flashed against the moonlight. His head snapped towards the window overlooking the street and saw another silver flash. His face tightened. This was definitely the right house. Not wasting another second, he ran to the door and practically kicked it right through.

"ORTON!"

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH?"

His eyes squinted to adjust to the darkness as every nerve ending in his body was at fever pitch. His senses were on overload. His ears picked up every little sound and his eyes scoured the empty living room for any scrap of movement. He was about to take a step forward when he heard rustling and a gentle squeak from the floorboards directly above his head.

"Got you," he muttered to himself as he quickly advanced up the winding staircase. The blood in his veins was simmering. It had been ever since this whole damn thing had started but it wouldn't be for much longer because he knew the second that he saw that fucker's face that he was going to lose it. He just hoped to God that he hadn't done anything to Stephanie because if he had he swore he was going to kill him. Again, he paused on the landing and took in his surroundings. There were two doors ahead of him to the right and one behind him. He turned to his right and stared at the two doors. He then turned around and looked at the one behind him. The tiniest sliver of light was creeping out from the space between the door and the floor. He tried to calm himself as he walked towards it and debated what to do. He could just barge in but he didn't know what he was facing. What if he had a weapon? What if he was going to use it on his wife? His fists clenched tightly. He didn't know what to do. He stood there for a few more seconds until the decision was made for him.

"PAUL!"

He immediately stiffened at the sound of Stephanie calling his name and then the loud smacking sound that followed along with her whimpers. A wave of absolute rage washed over his body and he kicked in the bedroom door. It flew open and smacked against the wall with the force of his kick. What seemed like hours in reality only took a few seconds. Paul spotted Stephanie lying on the bed holding her cheek. Her eyes looked puffy and full of fear but he swore he saw a flash of relief when they made contact with his. Orton stood over her with a menacing look on his face. He tore his eyes from his wife to look at the man that was trying to destroy their lives. Randy glared at him with an intense hatred in his eyes. And that was all it took.

Paul lunged at him, tackling him to the ground and immediately landing swift, hard punches to his face. He felt something sting his hands and looked down to see the knife that was currently swiping at them. With his attention momentarily averted, Randy used the opportunity to swipe viciously with the knife but Paul grabbed his wrist and forced it back to the ground. He banged it off the floor hard until the knife went flying across the floor and out of their reach. He watched it for a second too long as Randy punched him hard in the jaw and sent him flying backwards. Paul's head lolled to the side and through his blurry vision he saw somebody sitting over by the radiator. He shook his head and sat up to see Randy scrambling to get to the knife. With a surge of energy he quickly got back to his feet and launched himself at the other man. He managed to catch his foot, causing him to stumble forward and into the wall. Paul got to his feet but as soon as he did, Randy tackled him backwards and they both crashed through the dressing table with a heavy thud.

Stephanie cried out in horror as she watched them fight. She was afraid one of them was going to do something they would regret. She didn't want Paul going to prison. That's why she had to stop this.

"Don't do it Stephanie," called Samantha when she saw the other woman make a move to get off the bed.

Stephanie glanced at her. She could see the fear in her eyes. They were both scared to death. But she couldn't let this go any further. They were going to kill each other for God sakes. "I have to do something, Sam." With that, she turned her attention back to the other side of the room where both men were slowly picking themselves up from the ground.

Randy got to his feet first and shook himself off. Paul had taken the brunt of the impact and he was still laying there grasping at his ribs. A sick smile crossed his face as he gave him a hard kick before he dropped down beside him and grabbed a handful of hair. "You really thought you could just walk in here and save the day, didn't you?" He levelled his face before punching him square in the jaw. Paul's head smacked off the ground from the impact. He fought to stop his head spinning but Randy landed another kick to his ribs which were screaming in agony.

"Well I'm fucking sorry, Paul. But this is my game," Randy leaned down and grabbed his face. "And you lose," he whispered evilly. He turned and looked for the knife. It was time to finish this for good.

Paul tried with all he had to get up. He groaned in pain as he managed to sit up. But the pain in his body was absolutely nothing compared to the pain he felt when he saw Stephanie get off the bed and run towards Orton. His heart caught in his throat when he saw the other man grab her and kiss her hard, his hands roaming all over her and touching her in places he had no business touching. He snapped. He absolutely and completely snapped as an overwhelming instinct to protect the woman he loved kicked in. A new found surge of adrenaline pumped through his veins and as fast as he could manage, he got to his feet and moved towards them.

Randy was too pre occupied with how wonderful it felt to finally have everything he ever wanted in his grasp that he didn't see the other man advancing on him. He reluctantly broke away from Stephanie and turned around to see her husband's reaction. But instead of the heartbroken expression he was expecting, he was met with the hardest punch he had ever felt in his life as Paul's fist smashed into his face. He went reeling and fell against the headboard and the bedside table. His head was spinning a mile a minute and he could barely make out that another punch was on its way. Again, a hard fist connected with his face. The force of the blow completely took it out of him. He began to panic as he realised that he couldn't even defend himself. He raised his heavy arms aimlessly as he tried to stop the barrage of punches that were raining down on him until everything.............began............to....turn...............black.............

Stephanie rushed to her husband's side and tried to pry him off the prone Randy Orton who hadn't moved in a good while. She was scared to death of the look she had seen in his eye as he landed the first punch. He looked possessed. He had acted like a man possessed as he continually punched Randy over and over. She grabbed his arm. His body was shaking.

"Paul!"

"Stop!"

" STOP!"

" Paul, please!"

Paul dropped his fist and turned to look at his wife. Her tear streaked face and sobbing cries finally worked their way through him. He tried to calm his breathing as he shook violently. The adrenaline was still pumping through his veins. He glanced down at the bloody face of on the floor and sighed. His hands were aching and he was sure he had broken them but he didn't care. He couldn't even remember what the hell he had done. That thought should have scared him but he didn't give a shit. The fucker deserved it. He felt Stephanie's hand running along his arm.

"It's over," she hushed before collapsing into his arms. "It's over."

Samantha cried helplessly. She watched as Paul and Stephanie got to their feet. They clung to each other until Stephanie broke their embrace and walked towards her. Paul gingerly limped over and together they set her free. She looked at Paul and a jumble of emotions ran through her body. He had literally just punched her husband unconscious. But the truth of the matter was, he hadn't really been the husband she knew and loved for a long time. Despite that, she couldn't help herself as she walked over to where he lay. He was wriggling around as he moaned. She caught sight of his face and gasped at how puffy and bloody it was. They had literally tried to kill each other. She didn't know what the hell to do. Should she call the police? She was definitely going to need an ambulance too, for both of them. She glanced over her shoulder to see Stephanie inspecting her husband's hands as he sat on the edge of the bed. But her heart almost leaped out of her chest when she turned around and saw her husband reaching for the knife that lay just above him. He grabbed it and with whatever energy he had left, he stumbled to his feet and made a beeline for the bed.

"LOOK OUT!" she yelled but it was too late. In one swift movement, Randy had yanked Stephanie back into him and now had the knife pressed dangerously to her throat. She saw the distraught look that crossed Paul's face and quickly decided that this was it. This thing had to end. It was going too far. She ran out of the room in search of a phone.

"You think........this is......over?" Randy slurred as he moved even further away from the bed pulling Stephanie with him. "I SAY WHEN THIS IS OVER!" His hand shook as he yelled. Stephanie gulped when she felt it nick against her skin. She thought it was over but she had clearly been very wrong. It was only about to get worse.


	22. Game Over

**A/N** - This is the penultimate chapter folks. As usual, I want to thank you all for your reviews and comments. They have really made me feel that having a psycho take over my brain for a little while every other week has been worth it lol. So the big question is, does Randy get what's coming to him or will Paul stop it from happening? Well, there's only one way to find out.....

Btw, this one starts right at the end of the previous one. Picture it as one big scene if you know what I mean :-)

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"You hear me? I SAY WHEN THIS IS OVER!"

Paul's heart almost stopped. He quickly got off the bed and tried to take a step forward but the glint of the knife as it pressed against his wife's neck made him stop. He tried not to panic but it was no use. He couldn't lose her. Not like this. Not ever. Stephanie's frightened cry drew his attention to her tear streaked and beaten face. His eyes locked with hers. He could see that she was absolutely terrified and him freaking out wasn't going to help matters. He had to remain calm and get her away from Orton. His mind began to spin as he tried to formulate a plan.

"This whole.........thing......has been...........a disaster," Randy managed to get out as he pulled Stephanie further back away from the bed and away from Paul who stood frozen to the spot. The distraught and helpless look on his face was enough to make him forget about the pain coursing through his body right now. His face felt like it had swollen to twice its normal size. Paul had literally punched the shit out of him and he didn't like it one damn bit. Well the tables had certainly turned now. "But not anymore," he sighed heavily, finally coming to a stop amongst the broken wood of the dressing table. He moved the knife to the right side of Stephanie's neck and pressed his face into the left. He inhaled deeply, letting her wonderful scent drift up his sure-to-be-broken nose and smirked at Paul, not once taking his eyes off the other man. With his free hand, he began to caress her hip and delighted in the way she rubbed against him as she fidgeted nervously.

"Come on now, Stephanie. I know you want this," he sighed, almost dreamily. He brought his hand around to her stomach and began to inch downwards while a huge smile played on his beaten face.

Paul's fists were balled tightly together at his sides as he stood there and watched another man practically molest his wife before his very eyes. "Don't you fucking touch her," he warned as he took a step forward but regretted it immediately when he saw a slow red line trickle down her neck.

"Take another step and next time I won't be so generous."

Randy's ominous warning sent a shiver down her spine. Stephanie tried to remain focused on her husband's face. She desperately gazed into his eyes, needing to maintain eye contact with him for fear that she would lose it if she didn't. But her eyes snapped shut at the feel of Randy's hand skimming over her most intimate of areas. What started as a gentle sweeping motion quickly turned to an insistent push and she gasped at the contact, trying to wriggle free even if she knew it was useless.

"You touch her one more time and I swear to God, Randy......" Paul growled, forgetting himself and taking a step forward. Watching Orton touching her like that made him feel sick to his stomach.

"You'll what, Paul? WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?" Randy yelled in response. Screw Paul and his empty threats. He was in control here. The other man's silence made him laugh. He was easy to get to. Seeing the helpless look on his face made waiting all this time worth it. He kept his hand in place while he pulled the knife as tight as he could manage without it cutting through against her neck. He couldn't wait to see the reaction this time. "I have the power here. All you can do is stand there and watch while I do whatever I want." The tightening of the other man's face made him smirk. He began to roam his hand again, this time bringing it up to fondle Stephanie's breasts. He couldn't stop the sigh that escaped from him at the contact. Despite how much fun he was having toying with Paul right now, he knew he wouldn't be able to wait much longer to fuck his wife right in front of him. A sick smile spread across his face and he let out a deep moan for effect.

It worked to perfection as Paul's face screwed up in disgust. He had to stop this. If it meant killing the bastard he would do it. "Well what do you want? Isn't it me? Because I'm standing right here, asshole."

Randy laughed out loud. What an idiot. "No, no, no, no, NO! This was never about you. Only when you became an obstacle did I decide that you had to be involved. No, no. This has _always_, been about Stephanie and how much I..............need............to have her," he murmured against her neck, his eyes rolling around deliriously in his head before quickly settling back on Paul. He couldn't help himself as his hands began to roam everywhere.

Stephanie sucked in a sharp breath when he again squeezed her roughly. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had tried not to panic but all she could think about were her daughters. If anything happened to her or Paul... .....She couldn't even finish that line of thinking. The thought of something happening to Paul, of their children growing up without their father was too much for her to handle. She prayed to God they got out of this safely although she knew that he was planning something and given their situation, it wasn't a guarantee they would get out of this unscathed. She could see it in his eyes. They had gone from scared to pissed off to pensive all in the space of a second. She could always tell how he felt by looking into his deep hazel eyes. And right now he was silently communicating with her. This was it. He was going to make his move. She didn't know what the hell he was going to do but she trusted him. She blinked firmly and subtly nodded her head in confirmation. His arm twitched and she glanced at his hands. He very subtly had 3 fingers pointing down. They quickly moved back into his fist before one jutted out.

One.

It was followed by another and she nodded to confirm that she had seen it.

Two.

"I love you," he mouthed sincerely and despite their situation she felt her heart melt. "I love you," she mouthed back and squeezed her eyes shut. She said a silent prayer before quickly opening them and making eye contact with him once again. She sucked in a breath as his third finger jutted out. As if in slow motion, he nodded at her and she nodded back.

Three.

As soon as she did, she jumped to the side with everything she had in her and watched on as Paul leapt forward and tackled Randy to the ground.

Randy had completely missed the unspoken communication between husband and wife and cried out in shock when he felt Stephanie almost effortlessly slip from his grasp and be replaced by the force of Paul knocking him to the ground. The initial shock quickly wore off and he thrust forward violently with his knife hand and felt it connect with the other man's face. Paul cried out as he fell backward grasping his cheek. The knife had scored into his skin, cutting a wound around two inches long on his cheekbone. He scrambled backwards and got to his feet. Randy did the same and as soon as he was stable, he lunged forward and smiled when he made contact. He got him. He grabbed Paul by the shoulder with one hand and pushed the knife hard and deep into his gut with the other. Paul's body collapsed onto him. The searing pain in the left side of his stomach was unbearable and he began to feel dizzy. He could barely make out Randy's face as his legs wobbled. In the distance he could hear Stephanie screaming his name. She sounded so far away. He groaned heavily as he felt something twist around in his stomach before an intense pressure just floated from his body. His abdomen felt wet and as if something were flowing out of him. He didn't have time to comprehend the fact that he had just been stabbed before the world went dark and he toppled to the ground in a heap.

"PAAAAUUUUULLLLL!"

Stephanie's horrified scream combined with the feel of the knife buried deep in her husband's gut brought a smile to his face. Randy shoved the knife as far as it could go before tugging it back out. He was practically holding Paul up as he was too weak to stand on his own. He took a step back and watched in delight as he fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Stephanie rush to his side but he grabbed her and pulled her back. She was his now.

"LET ME GO!" she squealed, thrashing against him violently. She swore a part of her died when she saw that knife pierce her husband's skin. Randy's arms were trying to hold her back but she was past the point of hysteria now. She could barely even see through the tears that were masking her vision.

"NO!" Randy pulled her back into him and got a hard slap for his trouble. It was quickly followed by others as she began to hit him as hard as she could. She managed to sock him in the jaw and right in the same spot where he was sure Paul had broken earlier. He grasped at it in pain and automatically let her go. His head grew dizzy with the pain and he forgot about her for a moment.

Stephanie fell to the ground beside her husband and gasped. His stark white shirt was stained a deep red as the blood seeped from the deep stab wound in his stomach. Her hands shook as she pulled the shirt open to reveal even more blood and a sight more gruesome than she had ever seen in her life. "Oh God. Oh Jesus. Paul talk to me. Please...." she pled desperately. She kept one hand to cover the gaping hole in his gut while the other swept over his pale and clammy face. He hadn't moved since he'd hit the floor. She was afraid to check for a pulse for fear of the result. She thought she had no more tears to give but she had been completely wrong as a fresh wave of painstaking sobs wrecked her body. "Please........Paul......for God sakes......"she sobbed heavily, quickly losing hope at his lack of response.

Randy shook the cobwebs from his groggy head and moved towards the bloody scene before him. He could care less that Paul was bleeding to death right before his very eyes. All he cared about was the woman currently hunched over him and finally getting what he had been waiting so damn long for. He grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her to her feet.

"Get off me! Get off me you bastard! Look what you've done! You might have killed.........Jesus, Randy. This isn't a game. This isn't.........." She screamed at him as she struggled to get out of his grasp.

He grew angry as she berated him. Not able to take anymore he reared back and slapped her hard across the face. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! GET ON THE BED, STEPHANIE!" When she didn't comply he grabbed her by the hair and threw her onto the mattress. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Paul writhing in pain on the ground. He had done it. This was the end result of all his planning. Paul, a broken wreck on the floor and Stephanie, finally, _finally_ on his bed. He turned his full attention to the beauty before him. He ignored her tear stained face and the hate in her eyes and pressed a hard kiss to her uninviting lips. His hands moved to her blouse which he began to unbutton.

But he didn't get very far.

"STOP! ARMED POLICE MR. ORTON! STOP RIGHT NOW!"


	23. It's All Over

**A/N** - So this is it. The final chapter. I have to say that I could not have asked for a better response way back when I started this thing last year I think it was. I didn't think the idea of Randy chasing Steph would have been so darn appealing lol. But clearly it has been. This is the best response to any of my fics so far and I truly thank you guys for that. Maybe I should include psycho Randy in all of them, ha! Anyways, I hope I did this thing justice. For a while there I thought of adding an epilogue but I don't think I need one. After the last chapter this one may come off as anti-climactic but I couldn't really help that considering what happened after the last one lol. Either way, I hope you enjoy it and once again, I thank you all so much for sticking with me and leaving your comments for each new chapter. You are all awesome!

* * *

"We're losing him! We're losing him people!"

An unbearable fear gripped her stomach. This couldn't be it. They couldn't mean what they were saying. She kept her eyes focused on the scene in front of her. A small group of paramedics were huddled around her prone husband as they tried desperately to stop the blood from pouring out of the deep and open wound in his stomach, the wound that Randy had created. She kept replaying it over and over in her head. The scuffle. The sound of her husband groaning in pain. The way his body fell limp against Randy's. Her eyes catching sight of the knife buried deep in his gut. The blood spilling out and all over the floor. Randy twisting the knife around before pulling it out. Paul dropping to the ground in a bloody heap. The way his eyes had rolled to the back of his head as she had tended to him before the medics got there. He wasn't responding. His pulse was weak. His skin was clammy. He looked extremely pale. She couldn't deal with it anymore.

"I can't do this," she sobbed as she tore her gaze from her husband and looked anywhere but at him. Her eyes locked with Sam's just before the other woman left the room. She wondered what it felt like to know that the man you loved, the man that you had promised your life to was a complete and utter psycho. She couldn't help but feel for her. Randy had destroyed his own family's life. She just prayed to God that he didn't succeed in completely destroying hers. With that thought she turned her attention back to the events proceeding in front of her just in time to see two medics zapping Paul's chest with a defibrillator. Suddenly, the dream world she had fallen into was replaced by what was really happening right in front of her.

"One. Two. Three. Now!" cried one medic loudly, indicating for his colleague to press the metal paddles against their patient's chest in a hope to revive him although it didn't seem to be working. No response. "Again! One. Two. Three. Now!" He watched in dismay as the wounded man flopped onto the ground after receiving the shock. No response. That was the third time in a row. It was times like these when he really hated his job. The desperate cries of the patient's wife behind him didn't make the situation any easier. With a heavy sigh and forlorn nod to his colleague, he got to his feet and prepared himself to tell the unfortunate news.

Stephanie couldn't breathe. She literally felt like the world was falling down around her. She didn't need to be told what happened. She could already tell from the slumped shoulders of the medics and the ominous lull in the room. Even so, she refused to believe it.

"Paul!" She brushed past one of the officers in her way and knelt beside him, choking back the cry lodged in her throat when she saw him. That wasn't her husband. It couldn't be. He looked.............................dead.

"No!" Her eyes pled with the young medic beside her. She gripped his shirt tight in her hand. "You have to do something. Please! Help him!"

"I'm sorry maam. We tried everything we could......."

"Don't tell me that. I can't.............No.......................Paul!"

* * *

"No!"

"Paul!"

The world started to get bright all at once. Stephanie quickly opened her eyes and wiped the sweat from her forehead. After a few moments of adjusting herself to the light and to her body waking up, she realised where she was and sighed heavily. It was just a dream. Or rather, it was all in her head. He wasn't really dead. She was still slumped over in a hospital chair with her husband's limp hand gripped tightly in hers. She shifted her gaze from the monotonous white wall, past the various beeping machines to rest on the most terrifying sight she had ever seen in her life. Paul lay on the bed, his face bruised and beaten and cheek cut. But it was what was under the covers that really scared her. It was the deep gash in his gut that had bled profusely ever since it had been cut and had caused tremendous blood loss which had sent him in and out of cardiac arrest since he had arrived in this damn place. They weren't able to stabilize him. That's why he was still in the ICU. The doctor had been blunt. It was touch and go whether he would make it or not. She just thanked the lord that what she had dreamt not too long ago hadn't actually happened.

The steady beeping of the heart monitor drew her attention back to the bed. A fresh set of tears began to burn the back of her eyes. She just wished this could all be over. That Paul would wake up. That he would recover and that he would be back in her arms. She gripped his hand tighter and raised it to her face, nestling her cheek against his cold skin before pressing gentle kisses to his knuckles.

"You have to wake up. I can't take much more of this. Please baby........" she choked as she broke down and the tears began to fall. She didn't dare stop them. Not when the reason for them was lying in a hospital bed in front of her and she didn't know if he was going to make it. She couldn't think of a worse form of torture than sitting and waiting to find out whether a loved one was going to die combined with too much damn time to sit and think about your lives, your children, how much you love him. She didn't know how much longer she could do it. Marissa had the girls and Shane and her parents were on their way to St. Louis right now with Paul's parents. She could remember the fear in his mother's voice when she called. They were all terrified. For the first time that night she allowed herself to think of her kids. There was a policeman outside the door as the press had picked up on the story and it was leading the national news. What if Aurora had seen it on the TV? She was old enough to turn it on by herself now. What if she saw the story and heard how her mother had been kidnapped and her father stabbed? How was she going to explain it to her if Paul........ She began to get herself into a panic. Her heart raced and her palms became sweaty. This was her absolute nightmare come to life. What was she going to do? She couldn't imagine her life without him. She wouldn't. Her breathing began to get erratic. Everything that she had been thinking and everything that she had experienced over the past few hours caught up to her and hit her all at once. She swore she was going to pass out.................................until she heard a soft groan from the top of the bed.

Her head snapped in its direction. Another groan was followed by the gentle moving of his head on the pillow. A second later, his hazy eyes slowly fluttered open. She watched as he tried to bring them into focus. He finally managed to do so and almost immediately the panic set in and his arms began to weakly flail against the mattress. She quickly moved further up the bed to cup his face and looked intensely into his eyes.

"Hey! Hey! It's OK. You're OK," she hushed softly. The panicked expression slowly left his face as he relaxed.

"Wha..........." he muttered as he tried to speak but he just didn't have it in him. He felt completely spent not to mention scared out of his mind. What the hell was he doing in a hospital? And then it hit him. Randy Orton. His pulse began to quicken as he remembered what had happened.

"Shhhhhhhh. It's OK," she soothed again, this time smoothing his cheek with one hand and reaching for the call button with the other. She couldn't stop the tears from spilling from her eyes only this time they were tears of joy. He was awake. He was _alive_. Within seconds a nurse had appeared at his bedside and had started to check his vitals and all the rest of it. She didn't care. All she could focus on was him. They had made it through this. They had survived.

"Randy......" he barely managed to croak out. His eyes were glazed over. He was fading. But he just had to know how it all went down.

Stephanie shuddered at the mention of his name. She wished the police had buried a bullet hole in his ass. Unfortunately she would have to make do with him being in their custody and more than likely going to prison. She would happily accept it so long as she got her husband back. She squeezed his hand. "He's under arrest. We don't have to worry about him ever again. He's gone."

A small smile flitted across his face before he nodded off. The nurse began to babble on, telling her that it was perfectly normal for that to happen and that he would be fine. And in her heart, she knew that it would be. He was alive. That was all that mattered.


End file.
